NOTE: October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
In recognition of NDEAM this month and in partnership with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, OSERS is pleased to highlight another successful partnership that State VR agencies have established with educational providers and the business community supporting the employment of individuals with disabilities.
Hands On Educational Services, Inc. is vocational training program that prepares individuals with disabilities for careers in the hospitality industry though its partnership with Hyatt Hotels, state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, and local educational agencies. While the partnership began with one Hyatt hotel in Tampa, Florida Hands On now works with over 30 Hyatt hotels in nine states and is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
With funding from state VR agencies and through Hyatt’s Hospitality Training Program, Hands On provides job-readiness training, job coaching, job placement services, and on-the-job training to individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the hotel industry, including culinary, engineering, housekeeping, and guest services. Since the program’s inception, Hyatt has extended job offers to several hundred program graduates.
While they sometimes operate behind the scenes, state VR agencies are often at the nexus of private-public partnerships – simultaneously supporting individuals with disabilities as they prepare for, secure, retain, advance in, or regain employment and the businesses that provide them with career opportunities.
As OSERS partners with states to administer the VR program, one of the core workforce development programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, OSERS is committed to strengthening partnerships and maintaining high expectations for the millions of individuals with disabilities the VR program serves.
For more information about the VR program in Florida, visit our partners at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Division of Blind Services. To learn more about Hands On, visit them online or through Facebook.
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