Washington City Mission expands vocational training
Clinton Jones of Washington works with Cathy Zuback, Washington City Mission vocational services manager, to sort through clothes donations at Washington City Mission Distribution Center. City Mission is starting a new vocational training service for residents or outside referrals to train and place people in jobs.
Bill Lowry used to be a resident at Washington City Mission but now lives independently and is an employee at Washington City Mission Distribution Center. The center plans to train residents and outside referrals for different occupations.
The plan to open eight more Hidden Treasures stores in Fayette, Greene and Washington counties over the next year is the latest impetus for Washington City Mission to expand its work-training programs, as it recently received state certification to train mission residents and outside referrals in retail and warehouse work.
Certification from the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation means as many as 30 referrals from OVR can go through a three-week training program to hit the ground running in the workforce.
“They exit the three-week curriculum with an aptitude test and certification that shows prospective employers that they’ve undergone a comprehensive, supervised and screened training program. … For employers, it shows they’ve attained a basic understanding of soft skills for customer sales and service,” said Cathy Zubak, manager of vocational services at City Mission.
CEO Dean Gartland said 70 percent of the approximately 100 residents housed with the mission are referred or undergo training.
“We’ve been training our residents for many, many years. It’s part of our chapter mission. Now it’s a two-way street (where we used to only send residents to the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation). We help develop good work ethic and valuable skills. We’re formalizing that structure now as a vendor through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation,” Gartland said.
The certification means referrals of individuals with mental or physical disabilities or addiction issues can hit the ground running and be certified for retail or similar sales and customer service work.
“Residents and referrals often come to us with sales experience in the wrong kind of sales, so it’s turning that experience into something greater,” Gartland said.
“For those struggling with addiction, the training program stops the cycle of them trying to get clean and relapsing, and it gives them hope,” said Cora Mitchell, vocational trainer at City Mission, “They start dressing better and taking pride in themselves. It shows them they can continue to move forward. And part of it is learning to budget money, so that when they have cash in their pocket it’s not a trigger to go out and use again.”
“This is the most comprehensive program the City Mission has ever had,” said operations director Dr. Sally Mounts. “You can’t have independent living without financial independence; you can’t have that without work.”
For employers, the value is a pre-screened, pre-qualified pool of employees, according to state Office of Vocational Rehabiliation district administrator Darla Openbrier.
“Employers now have someone to look to locally that can jump right into retail and warehouse type positions,” Openbrier said.