Did you know that 50-70% of people with disabilities in industrialized countries are not gainfully employed? This is due to a variety of factors, including the lack of accommodations, skills deficits, and limited experience. There’s good news, though: Oregonians with disabilities can thrive in work environments when they’re given a chance to succeed.
The Arc of Benton County is combating the issue of underemployment among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We operate an employment training program (ETP), where our participants receive 1-on-1 coaching to develop valuable occupational skills. Our program graduates have gone on to work at establishments like Safeway and Home Depot.
You may not have thought about how employment training programs help people with disabilities until now. Today, we’ll discuss some of the benefits our participants enjoy by being in The Arc’s ETP.
1. Real-Life Practice
Our ETP participants are given work schedules, dress standards, a clock in/out system, and reasonable performance expectations. This introduces them to what they can expect from other employers in a competitive job market.
Employers want to know that their potential hires will show up to work on time, follow procedures correctly, and do the work they’re being hired to do. Employment training programs are a great way for people to learn these concepts. By the time they’re ready for their first interview, they can prove they’re able to do what’s expected of them.
2. Transferable Skill Development
Participants in employment training programs may learn skills that people without disabilities may deem “basic,” such as counting money, customer service, and stocking shelves. As you can probably imagine, most jobs involve one or more of the skills we just mentioned. Being able to show experience with tasks that may be a part of someone’s next job makes them more employable in the eyes of hiring managers.
Our ETP program is located in The Arc Corvallis Thrift Store’s toy department, where participants stock and tidy shelves. We work with one participant at a time, ensuring that they have a chance to fully learn the skills they need to succeed in other jobs.
3. Resume Building
One of the biggest barriers to getting a job is lack of prior experience. People with and without disabilities compete with other candidates who may have more experience than them, and that hurts their chances of getting a job. You or your children may have experienced this when just starting out in the workforce.
Employment training programs are usually considered jobs, and they fit nicely on resumes. Program participants can outline all of the skills they learned and used on the job, showcasing proficiencies that may land them interviews.
4. Confidence Building
The first time you do something is usually the hardest, simply because you’ve never done it before. When trying something new, it’s common to feel insecure or unsure about your ability to succeed. This applies to new jobs, too. Your first job can be nerve-racking, especially if you need to ask for reasonable accommodations.
Employment training programs prove to their participants that they can work – and that they’re good at it, too. This newfound confidence may help people with disabilities be more independent at jobs, even when they’re given accommodations. As positive reinforcement accumulates, people become more comfortable in the workforce. Work may even become exciting!
Employment Training in Corvallis, OR
Employment training programs are priceless to those who participate in them. By giving people the tools they need to succeed, they can lower the unemployment rate among people with disabilities. The Arc of Benton County recently added a new coordinator, Krystina, to the ETP team. If you or someone you know with an intellectual or developmental disability could benefit from employment training, contact her at etpcoordinator@arcbenton.org.