January 21, 2009 - Job-seekers with a disability, medical condition, or certain other conditions that present a barrier to employment may qualify for free job placement services from Opportunity Partners, thanks to a three-year grant of $346,285 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Projects With Industry program. Opportunity Partners is a Twin Cities nonprofit organization serving people with disabilities.
The project’s goals are to place people into jobs in fields such as Food Service, Janitorial, Hospitality, Retail and Document Conversion/Clerical Services, and to provide customized training to enhance career advancement opportunities.Prior to intake, a candidate may participate in classes to learn application, resume, interview, and job retention skills.
Applications for the program are being accepted Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon, at Opportunity Partners’ Koch Campus, 5500 Opportunity Court, Minnetonka MN 55343, or call to request an appointment. For information, contact Mary Jo Nohava at 952-351-5404 or pwi@opportunities.org.
“We are extremely pleased to learn we have been awarded a wonderful opportunity to increase work options for people with disabilities,” said Jon Thompson, Opportunity Partners President and CEO. “The grant fits well with our strategic direction of enhancing vocational training and employment opportunities for people facing barriers to employment.”
As a first step in the project, Opportunity Partners has formed a Business Advisory Council, a group of business leaders who will lend their expertise to the project.
Advisory council members include: Dave Matychuk, LifeLine Incorporated; Jim Strempke, Easy Braid Company; Tom Reese, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development; Kent Buell, Bon Appetit; Bruce Mulder, Independent School District 287; Michelle Alm, Embassy Suites Hotel Bloomington; Steve Wise, Cass Screw Machine Products and TwinWest Chamber of Commerce; Mark Beaubien, Acrylic Design; Diane Duguay, Kraus-Anderson; Jeffrey Cookson, Employer’s Association; Chuck Ryan, Cosecha Design - The Bead Store; Anne Paulson, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development; Shawn Taher, Taher Inc; and Sam Harrington, Opportunity Partners participant.
Opportunity Partners provides employment, housing and educational services to nearly 1,500 individuals with developmental disabilities, brain injury, autism and other special needs. More information about Opportunity Partners is available on the Web at http://www.opportunitypartners.org/.
