Printer-Friendly Version
Email This Article
Success Sells The Program
Available formats: PDF
On Memorial Day Weekend 1996 Jack Lind fell and broke his wrist. The fracture was severe, and he lost more than 50 percent of the strength and mobility in his wrist. Although the injury occurred more than two years ago, Jack requires ongoing therapy.
Prior to his injury, Jack was a co-owner of a moving company. However, the wrist injury and subsequent disability required him to find another line of employment. New York's Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities referred Jack to the Rochester Rehabilitation Center for computer training. The Rochester Rehabilitation Center, in a joint training program with Manpower, provides computer training programs for people with disabilities. An integral part of the computer training is the Manpower Skillware program.
Jack opted to take the Client Support Administrator curriculum that trains individuals to work in "help desk" positions. Prior to completing the 14-week program, Manpower Training Center Manager Josephine Zanghi inquired whether Jack would be interested in accepting a permanent position with Manpower as a Skillware training administrator. "I wasn't thinking about working for Manpower when I started my training," Jack recalled. "The more I thought about it, the more the position seemed a perfect fit for me, since I like working with people."
Jack is responsible for administering Skillware training to Manpower employees and trainees from the Rochester Rehabilitation Center. "My primary responsibility is to make sure that every trainee gets the full benefit of Skillware," he said. Because Skillware is a self-paced program, it is able to accommodate the needs of trainees with disabilities. "If people need to, they can take breaks as necessary," Jack says. "People work at their own individual pace, which is why the training is effective."
Jack estimates that more than 90 percent of the trainees from the Rochester Rehabilitation Center find permanent employment after completion of the training. "That kind of success sells the program."
(c) Peter Blanck, 1998. Permission to Post Granted 3/18/99.
For More Information:
Professor Peter David Blanck
The University of Iowa, College of Law
431 Boyd Law Building
Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1113
Have a Question or Comment About This Article?
