DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) - For young people facing obstacles in life, a Dubuque program offers support and guidance in becoming career- or college-ready.
The Telegraph Herald reports that the Transition Alliance Program, a partnership between school districts and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services, started in Dubuque in 2015. The program aims to give people ages 14 to 25 opportunities to obtain career skills or education, said Jean Wuertzer, a program specialist.
The initiative focuses on helping people who face a wide variety of barriers, she said. Enrollment requirements include being on a 504 plan - a plan to help remove educational barriers for disabled students - receiving special education services or having a health- related disability.
“The world of work is not cookie-cutter and the challenges faced are not cookie-cutter,” Wuertzer said.
The program has more than 200 participants in Dubuque, she said.
Specialists in the program work with officials at Dubuque Senior and Hempstead high schools to receive referrals. The students then are offered preparation for interviews, job coaching and intervention in a workplace, when needed.
One employee at Mt. Pleasant Home who had help securing her job is Nakia Welch. She has been working at the senior living facility since February.
Welch has scoliosis and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that places lots of strain on her joints. She can neither stand nor sit for too long at one time.
Before discovering the Transition Alliance Program, Welch faced challenges in finding a job.
“I applied at (a local grocery store), but they told me I needed more experience,” she said. “But how am I supposed to get experience if I don’t get hired?”
At Mt. Pleasant Home, an understanding of her syndrome and a flow of communication about her needs helps ease stress on her body, she said.
Wuertzer said the program participants take tests to assess their aptitude and interests. Welch was directed toward jobs caring for others.
Eleanor Delaney, another Mt. Pleasant Home employee, was hired in 2013. While the program didn’t play a role in her hiring, she does receive job coaching. She receives periodic check-in calls from program leaders.
Keith Kettler, administrator of the senior living center, said that over the facility’s 144-year lifespan, officials have tried to give back whenever possible. Helping people cultivate job skills or gain interview experience is a chance to do just that.
Wuertzer said some employers are wary about making accommodations for prospective employees, but educating workplace officials through the program helps show how loyal and dependable program participants can be.
Kettler said employees from the Transition Alliance Program are worth the investment.
“What other employers don’t realize is, there’s a deep-seeded loyalty for taking them in and helping them out when no one else would,” he said.
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Information from: Telegraph Herald, http://www.thonline.com
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