BPCC’s program helps in job placement for individuals with disorders
Beginning in January 2014, a pilot program will assist individuals with a cognitive disability or autism to find employment.
Rebecca Hanberry is the director of the Program for Successful Employment. It is a joint endeavor of Bossier Parish Community College and Louisiana Rehabilitation Services.
LRS is a division of Louisiana’s Workforce Commission. What sets this program apart from other vocational training programs is its focus on individuals with cognitive issues or complications surrounding the autism spectrum disorders.
“The unemployment rate among people with disabilities who are currently looking for a job is around 13-14 percent,” Hanberry said. “The current employment for these kids is about 25 percent. So it’s double the average. What this program hopes to do is find people with cognitive disabilities jobs.”
She said accommodations are widespread for individuals with physical disabilities, but most cognitive disabilities are “invisible,” or display themselves as behavioral issues. These individuals look “normal” Hanberry said, so employers expect them to be.
PSE works with LRS to discover the unique capabilities and strengths of each candidate. Then those abilities are used to create an individualized program for employment. It’s comparable to a personal trainer for an athlete. The candidates reach their own goals, not a group standard, and individual assistance is provided all along the way, Hanberry said.
“There are two types of candidates this program hopes to reach,” Hanberry said. “Those students still enrolled in the school systems and those outside the school setting. They don’t have a high school diploma. They don’t have a GED. They have a cognitive disability that would prevent them from obtaining those diplomas. ” Students can be referred from the school system or by any individual. They apply through LRS and are evaluated and assessed. The PSE program then creates a unique program of education, mentoring, and guidance to move the candidate through the program and into a realworld job.
Hanberry said the need for such a program became apparent when BPCC’s Evaluation Center began receiving calls from caretakers of individuals with cognitive disabilities or autism who were unable to obtain work, who wanted to work and had run out of options.
The PSE is designed in two phases.
The first teaches what are referred to as “soft skills,” Hanberry said. “They learn how to interact socially. They learn what’s appropriate and what’s inappropriate. They learn how to dress; they learn how to look for a job. They learn how to fill out an application. They learn how to interview. They learn how to find resources in the community.”
Hanberry said the students will also be taught to promote themselves and their abilities, how to develop the confidence to get a job, keep a job and decide how far they want to go up the ladder.
During the first phase, students will sample local job opportunities based on their skills and interests. At the same time, the participating businesses will be able to evaluate the students as potential employees. In the second phase, the candidates get job specific training, she said.
Hanberry said employers benefit by getting employees who are trained to the specific needs of their business. The students will be supervised and trained by PSE staff. The employer will have the benefit of another pair of hands and help create a pool of potential employees. She said there are also tax incentives for participating businesses.
Employers will also get assistance in assimilating PSE students into existing staff.
The student’s mentor will determine how the student can fit into the workplace environment and determine which skills the company needs can be mastered by the PSE student. The mentor will make sure the skills are mastered and assist the student in getting employment. Upon completion of the program, students will get a certificate that proves they have specific skills that are employable, Hanberry said.
The most important thing about this program for potential employers to know, Hanberry said, is what a good deal it is. She said these students are special in some very important ways.
“They are very sweet,” she said. “They have a strong desire to please. They are very loyal, and they play by the rules.”
Hanberry sums up her passion for the program this way. “What I want to do is show that these people have a viable place in our society and that they are an underutilized workforce. Given the proper training, they can be an asset to a company just like you and I are,” she said.
–Joe Todaro
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For more information, contact Bossier Parish Community College at 678-6368.
