It’s Time to Get to Work!

Here at the Occupational Development Center we are in the business of providing independence.

We do this by providing vocational training and employment services to Lancaster County adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). When one of our Program Participants learns a new skill, while at the same time earning a paycheck, they get not only a measure of independence in their lives, but a greater sense of self worth. Time and again we see someone come to the ODC with some level of hesitations, fears, and perhaps a lack of confidence. And nearly every time that person begins to grow and flourish.

Ultimately, we would love to see all of our participants out working in the community in an integrated employment situation. But this takes time, and sometimes a level of creativity to help them find the right job for them. Not just any job, but one that they love and matches their unique skill set.

One of the difficulties in this is that getting a job usually requires having a resume: a printed document stating your educational and work background. Many of our Program Participants lack any sort of meaningful work history, at least in terms of what businesses are usually looking for. In order to remedy that, we decided to start preparing a different kind of resume for them: a video resume.

This way, we can SHOW our Participants at work, highlighting their skills, and also talk to them and their supervisors about their work ethic and what they like to do.

To achieve this, we secured a capacity building grant from the Lancaster County Community Foundation which allowed us to purchase the necessary video equipment and software.

And, here is our very first video resume! This resume is for Kristen A. who has been a Program Participant at the ODC since December of 2010.

If you’re interested in having Kristen work for your business, or would like to discuss hiring any of our Participants, please contact us at 717-397-4261, or email us at Hello@odcenter.org