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Charlie. Charlie’s Story . Charlie spent over 30 years in Pennhurst Institution Charlie spent over 30 years in a Pre- Vocational setting Charlie wanted more than anything the opportunity to be involved in his community, have friends and make MONEY!. Community Participation.
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Charlie’s Story • Charlie spent over 30 years in PennhurstInstitution • Charlie spent over 30 years in a Pre-Vocational setting • Charlie wanted more than anything the opportunity to be involved in his community, have friends and make MONEY!
Community Participation • An alternative to a facility based program, all activities are in the community and it is often the gateway to EMPLOYMENT
Charlie customized his skills • Volunteering at churches, shelters, animal shelters, garden co-ops, and thrift stores
Hidden Benefits • Charlie had great customer service skills, was well liked, and became known at local business around his home
One thing was still missing • Charlie wanted to WORK!! • I worked with him to figure out what it was that he enjoyed doing, and together we identified Charlie worked best around people
Neighborhood Inventory • Sears: Customized Employment • Charlie got an interview by shopping at Sears • We worked together to identify what jobs would improve operations
Talking “the talk” • Good communication with the manager allowed us to identify business needs that were “overlooked” • Charlie got an interview!
Nailing the interview • Charlie was friendly, outgoing and said all the right things • His confidence was raised by all the time he spent in his community at Community Participation • Great eye contact, and spoke to his strong capabilities
Charlie was offered the Job • He was a working man, but for Charlie this wasn’t enough
He wanted ANOTHER job • Together, Charlie and I took the same approach and identified overlooked business needs at Staples
Staples • Much in the same fashion, Charlie landed his second job at Staples where he has worked for over a year now • He was awarded Employee of the Month, and is a highly regarded and valued employee
Charlie finally has a FULL LIFE • Charlie, a man in his sixties was working two jobs in his community • He is earning a pay check, showing everyone his name tag and happy to share with anyone who would listen about how hard he works
Talk about the process before employment • Communication is crucial • All team members have to be on board pre-employment • Kinks such as transportation, medications and time management responsibilities should be addressed at the time of the Vocational Profile
Overcoming Barriers • Discussing with the “circle of support”, what measures each team members needs to commit to in order to make employment a preferred outcome • If a person does have complexities, brainstorm together what is a “deal breaker”, and what is “negotiable”
Communicating with Employer • Speak in business language • Reinforce they are getting a pre-screened individual who has the skill set that the job requires • Identify ONE point person for the employer • Speak realistically, only have the person you support and the Employment Specialist commit to what is possible
Benefits of Effective Communication • Supportive Employer, Satisfied Employee • Unified team members that can resolve concerns • Partnership with that business, which may lead to increased opportunity for additional participants to secure work • Strong reputation with employers, which can lead to other business being open to work with CIE providers( word of mouth).
Questions? • For Charlie for myself?
To learn more about St. John’s Community Services • Please contact me: John Helbig, Job Developer/OVR Specialist St. John’s Community Services 520 N. Delaware Ave, Ste301 Philadelphia, PA 19123 (215) 451-5053 jhelbig@sjcs.org www.sjcs.org