People with disabilities to participate in soft skills training program
Nevada’s Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation in conjunction with Truckee Meadows Community College Workforce Development and Community Education Department is hosting a unique program designed to assist people with disabilities improve their soft skills to qualify for employment.
The program includes 40 hours of training and concludes with a reverse job fair on Dec. 16 from 9-11 a.m. at Truckee Meadows Community College. At the reverse job fair, jobseekers host their own booths, while potential employers visit them at their stations to learn about their skills and abilities, said Shelley Hendren, administrator for DETR’s Rehabilitation Division.
“This is a unique and exciting opportunity that is a twist on the traditional job fair,” Hendren said. “The job applicants prepare their marketing materials to brand their skills, abilities and interests in entertaining and informative ways. This allows business representatives to actually meet the candidates before the application process. The job candidates are excited to participate in this event because they are able to practice networking and interviewing skills in an innovative way.”
In addition to the reverse job fair, clients of the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation are participating in training created to address other important aspects of obtaining a job and being a successful employee. For two weeks, four hours a day, participants learn about company culture, how to effectively communicate in the workplace, showing enthusiasm, maintaining a professional and positive attitude and the importance of teamwork. They also learn problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, and how to network, Hendren said.
“Employers often express the need for employees to have strong soft skills over and above technical skills,” Hendren said. “Employers have learned that it is much easier to teach employees a skill of the trade than it is to teach them soft skills, which include areas like teamwork, professionalism, and conflict resolution. Participants of this program would not
normally have the opportunity to learn these valuable skills that are the keys to success in the workplace.”
The program has 11 jobseekers participating in the program and expects 20 employers to participate in the reverse job fair. DETR is actively seeking more employers to participate in the job fair. Interested employers may contact Ken Pierson, Business Development Manager for the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation at (775) 823-8110 or k-pierson@nvdetr.org.
ABOUT THE REHABILITATION DIVISION
The Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation is designed to help people with disabilities remove barriers to employment and to help those already employed perform more successfully through training, counseling and other support services.
The Rehabilitation Division is comprised of three bureaus, which include Vocational Rehabilitation, Services to the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Bureau of Disability Adjudication. The Division also includes the Blind Business Enterprise of Nevada Program, and the Office of Disability Employment Policy. All of these services are designed to address assessment, training, treatment, and job placement for Nevadans with disabilities. The division places primary emphasis on providing necessary services to help consumers become employed and self-sufficient.
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