WRPD Workforce Ready Program
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Program description and Purpose
This program aims to engage and empower a vast cultural demographic of individuals that require support and knowledge to overcome barriers such as mental and physical disabilities to gain personal and professional growth resulting in employment. In these cases, we will break the cycle of dependency and fear and produce workforce-ready clients and productive citizens.
Assessment in workforce development skills will be the guiding force of the curriculum for the participants. Based on the results, clients will receive the necessary education and skills that enhance the opportunity to become employable and an asset to any company that hires trainees.
WRPD offers training in these areas: foundational academic learning, communication, reasoning, problem-solving, soft Skills, work-ethics, introduction to technology on equipment for the learner to be successful in instruction.
The above-mentioned career-related aspects, in many cases, become the catalyst for missing the opportunity for incumbency. This program will ensure that our clients will possess the skills required to obtain employment regardless of disability and keep the position once becoming employed.
WRPD plans to generate and sustain coalitions with employers that are eager to hire disabled candidates. We will offer orientation to any prospective employer. The employers identify the positions that they designate disabled-friendly. This program will generate workstations (simulators) that mirror potential employers and conduct hands-on training utilizing the technology and equipment pertinent to the worksites.
Training will provide the disabled client with valuable hands-on experience. Trainers will assess the ability of the client to complete the task. Once the training is complete, the client will complete a co-op at the employer’s location, if applicable, providing the employer the opportunity to determine the potential employee’s functional understanding.
Employment training is offered to High school graduates, college students, or college graduates who possess the proper documentation of their disability. The course work will be accessible one on one, in groups, and in virtual settings. The clients will be encouraged to learn at their own pace.
Program structure
Phase 1. Registration and initial assessment
• The client will provide all the necessary documentation for approval to participate in this program, such as medical evaluations and any other requirements stated by Vocational Education.
• The intake team will assess the client’s career goals, motivation, and workplace readiness. Information received will determine client placement in the program.
• Purchase and educate the client on the technology needed to be successful in the program training and coursework. The introduction of technology, devices, and education will equate to obtaining, maintaining, and enhancing career-related goals for this population.
Phase 2. Course work
• The client will begin the coursework determined by the program manager appropriate and advantageous to their educational requirements. Clients must test out of each module/section before moving to the next level.
Phase 3. Simulation of workstation
• The development of the curriculum is a collaboration with WRPD and potential employer worksites. Clients who would like to participate in the program’s simulator phase will do so in this section. This Phase would be available to all even if their career goals did not identify this type of position.
Phase 4. Resume building and interview coaching
• Clients will learn the importance of a good resume, cover letter, elevator speech, and other pertinent marketing skills.
• Interviewing is the gateway to employment. In many cases, disabled individuals fail to reach this gateway. Our interview coaching and training will address appropriate body language, personality influences, employer research, dress, appropriate interview questions, and performance on mock interviews.
Phase 5. Co-op
• To complete this program, the client must complete a co-op at an employer’s location. They will have a job coach to help with issues, i.e., navigation of building and daily tasks. The client must complete three months of full worksite functionality and receive payment for their work minus an administration fee paid to the program.
Phase 6. Graduation
• Each client will receive a certificate of completion at the successful conclusion of the training. We are confident that the co-op site employer will hire the client permanently, but we will have job developers ready to assist with this task if that is not the case.
Conclusion
Whether it is college, trade school, military, or the workplace, the Workforce Ready Program provides learners with the tools to prepare them for the road ahead. As learners prepare for a career readiness credential or certification, the Workforce Ready Course is ideal for measuring the level of readiness in foundational academic skills that focus on the core communication, reasoning, and problem-solving skills required for 21st Century opportunities from entry-level to professional. Career-based focus knowledge and employability skills helps learners to succeed.