young woman working

Often when we discuss “pre-employment training” people tend to think of assisting an individual in learning how to do a job. However, there’s more than that. When you have a confident, joyful, well-rounded individual, you are more likely to have a successful and satisfied employee.

Pre-Employment Training Program

The St. Louis Arc’s Pre-Employment Training program is a one year training program which helps individuals develop and grow their employment skills. Skills include interviewing techniques, how to complete a job application, and developing relationships with supervisors and co-workers. Many individuals will practice these skills in a work environment that reflects their interests. While the overall goal of the program is to help the individual gain competitive employment, the program also encompasses all aspects of an individual’s life. We strive to assist a person to not only be successful, but also happy in their workplace.

Pre-Employment Training can be an array of support that may be directly and indirectly related to what people think of as traditional employment skills. We challenge each individual, and the Employment Specialist working with them, to think outside the box. For example, if an individual would like to work on feeling comfortable talking with co-workers and meeting more people at work, we take this opportunity to teach these social skills. The skills are taught in a transferable way that can be used both in a workplace setting and in everyday interactions.

At the Arc, Pre-Employment is not just learning tasks and getting a job. It’s working with the individual to build confidence and social skills, so they are happy with themselves and happy with the job they are doing. We all strive to be the best person we can be and the best employee we can be. Pre-Employment Training is putting that concept into action for our participants.

Learn more about our program, first hand from those involved.