DETR and OfficeMax Partner to Train People with Disabilities
Two-Year Grant Provided by Kessler Foundation
Las Vegas, NV —The Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR), Kessler Foundation and OfficeMax® Incorporated, now part of the new company formed through the merger of equals with Office Depot, Inc. (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products, services and solutions, celebrated its new partnership that helps provide employment training for people with disabilities. The celebration included a ribbon cutting and graduation ceremony for the first class of work training participants on Jan. 10, 2014 at the OfficeMax distribution center in Las Vegas.
The work training partnership, part of the OfficeMax Maxing out Diversity program, is designed to provide work training and create career opportunities for individuals with disabilities who otherwise may experience significant barriers to employment, said Scott McKenzie, director of operations for the OfficeMax PowerMax distribution facility in Las Vegas.
The innovative partnership, facilitated through a two-year grant from Kessler Foundation – a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of people with disabilities through rehabilitation research and funding disability employment initiatives – will utilize a real-world work environment and specialized curriculum to train people with disabilities for meaningful careers within OfficeMax’s distribution and retail centers. The DETR’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR) program will recommend its clients for participation in the program.
“We congratulate the first graduates of this innovative job training program and look forward to many more people with disabilities joining the workforce,” said Elaine Katz, senior vice president at Kessler Foundation. “The OfficeMax ‘Maxing out Diversity’ project demonstrates what can be accomplished through public/private partnerships. By collaborating with disability-related organizations, corporations are launching pilot disability employment initiatives and proving that there is a high return on investment. The OfficeMax initiative is on track to further establish best practices to be replicated across the nation.”
Many of the candidates entering this training program have not had job experience or their experience may be very limited, said Shelley Hendren, administrator for DETR’s Rehabilitation Division.
“This is an exciting opportunity for people with disabilities who need assistance in developing work readiness skills,” Hendren said. “Statistics show that people with disabilities are just as capable of succeeding in the workplace as people who don’t have disabilities. Often they just need minimal assistance to be successful employees.”
OfficeMax, in partnership with the Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE), was awarded a two-year grant from the Kessler Foundation to expand OfficeMax’s employment program for people with disabilities. The resulting grant project was designed to assist OfficeMax in developing local and national partnerships within the disability community to create career training programs aimed at increasing its hiring of people with disabilities. Nevada, along with three other states, is working on this pilot program.
“OfficeMax is proud to partner with the state of Nevada on this worthwhile program,” McKenzie said. “OfficeMax is tremendously committed to helping to improve the lives of the people in the communities who support us. This is a great opportunity for us to give back and make a difference in the lives of people who dream of joining the workforce.”
BVR has collaborated with OfficeMax and Kessler Foundation, and is the first organization nationwide to graduate trainees through the training program. BVR not only refers the candidates, but also funds the instructor’s position while OfficeMax provides the classroom site, work locations and job expertise.
The program, located in Las Vegas, provides eight weeks of pre-training on-site with curriculum and utilizing a real world work environment to give the participants the skill sets for employment in the OfficeMax/PowerMax logistics environment or the retail store setting.
The candidates participate in three hours of classroom instruction and three hours of actual work each day for the first six weeks. During the final two weeks the candidate selects the work environment that best matches his or her interests, skills and abilities and completes an internship in this site (Warehouse or Retail). Upon successful completion of the program the candidates are awarded a Certificate that is of great value to secure employment in the distribution center or retail location, not only within the OfficeMax umbrella, but also with other local companies. Eight candidates began the program in November and participated in the January 10th graduation.
Ongoing OfficeMax Commitment to Diversity
OfficeMax’s partnership with DETR is just the latest in OfficeMax’s ongoing commitment to working with veterans and people with disabilities. As part the company’s Maxing Out Diversity program, last year OfficeMax partnered with Aspire of Illinois to launch a work training facility in Illinois under the Kessler Foundation grant. OfficeMax also is working with the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) and local organizations to create career-training facilities in other markets including Dallas and Columbus, Ohio. In 2013 OfficeMax was awarded the National Employment Team “Private Sector Business of the Year” by the CSAVR for its commitment to employing veterans and people with disabilities, including OfficeMax’s PowerMax distribution center in McCalla, Alabama, which has employed more than 60 people with disabilities. Additionally, OfficeMax has partnered with the Turning Pointe Autism Foundation to develop a work training facility for young adults with autism.
About the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR)
DETR is comprised of the Employment Security Division, Equal Rights Commission, Rehabilitation Division, the Information Development and Processing Division and the Research and Analysis Bureau. DETR works in partnership with the Nevada JobConnect System to provide training and job placement services to job seekers and to assist employers in hiring practices.
About Kessler Foundation
Kessler Foundation, a major nonprofit organization in the field of disability, is a global leader in rehabilitation research that seeks to improve cognition, mobility and long-term outcomes, including employment, for people with neurological disabilities caused by diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Kessler Foundation leads the nation in funding innovative programs that expand opportunities for employment for people with disabilities. For more information, visit KesslerFoundation.org.
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Contacts:
Lauren Scrivo, 973.324.8384, 973.768.6583 - c, [email protected]
Carolann Murphy, 973.324.8382, [email protected]
Mae Worthey, DETR, 702.486.7991, 702.249.6324
