Charlie

Charlie’s StoryCharlie 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 ParticipationAn alternative to a facility based program,

all activities are in the community and it is often the gateway to EMPLOYMENT

Charlie customized his skillsVolunteering at churches, shelters, animal

shelters, garden co-ops, and thrift stores

Hidden BenefitsCharlie 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 InventorySears: 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 interviewCharlie 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 JobHe was a working man, but for Charlie

this wasn’t enough

He wanted ANOTHER jobTogether, Charlie and I took the same

approach and identified overlooked business needs at Staples

StaplesMuch 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 LIFECharlie, 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 employmentCommunication 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 BarriersDiscussing 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 EmployerSpeak 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 CommunicationSupportive 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 ServicesPlease contact me:

John Helbig, Job Developer/OVR SpecialistSt. John’s Community Services520 N. Delaware Ave, Ste 301Philadelphia, PA 19123(215) 451-5053jhelbig@sjcs.orgwww.sjcs.org