Lighthouse Ventures into New Employment Services

By: Laura Capp, Director, Employment Services

For many Americans, employment is the key to independence and fulfillment.  This is especially true for Americans with sight impairments that often experience higher hurdles in the workplace than their sighted peers. Lighthouse Central Florida has offered classes for many years to help people of all ages with sight impairment adjust to their eye conditions and learn skills of daily living. Now Lighthouse is charting new territory, Employment Services. This new initiative is developing and providing job skills training for individuals who are blind and sight impaired. With financial support from a federal economic stimulus grant, the group is also conducting job development and placement services to help trained job seekers. Thanks to Florida’s Division of Blind Services, Lighthouse Central Florida was able to develop these new employment services.

Three courses have been developed to prepare adults for jobs in a variety of fields. The first, a job readiness course called Ability to Market, helps individuals assess their skills and interests, update their resumes, practice interviewing techniques, and conduct an effective job search. Two classes of students have already completed this course.

Another course debuting in August will train persons with sight impairments for jobs in the customer service field, particularly jobs that have a technology component.  Lighthouse’s Access Technology specialists are working closely with instructional design and teaching staffs to integrate computer proficiency into the curricula. The Customer Service Enabled by Technology (CSET) course will prepare individuals for jobs as call center agents and customer service representatives.

For the third course, Contract Management Support, Lighthouse forged a partnership with the National Industries for the Blind, which has an exclusive contract with the Department of Defense (DOD) to train persons with sight impairments as Contract Close-out Specialists.  This unique program enables college-educated individuals to learn the intricacies of government contracting, so they can fill the DOD’s need for trained personnel to accurately close out contracts with military suppliers.  Individuals with sight impairments can benefit by securing good jobs with competitive salaries, while saving the federal government considerable dollars. The first graduates of Lighthouse’s Contract Management Support course are already pursuing employment opportunities in the local area and around the nation. The next Contract Management Support class will begin in late August.

For more information about Employment Services training at Lighthouse Central Florida, please call 407-898-2483 x30 or e-mail Larry Levine at LLevine@lcf-fl.org. 

By supporting Lighthouse Central Florida, you help blind and sight impaired babies, children, adults, and seniors develop the skills they need to live independent and productive lives.



Wishing you clear vision Always!

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