Success for the ECVC Program

The Eastern Carolina Vocational Center is currently going along with a program, referred to as the ECVC program which has helped at least one hundred different individuals who are suffering from disabilities to find employment with all types of employers. With the number of disabled individuals able to find employment through this program, the program has managed to see a total increase of about 19 percent. The Eastern Carolina Vocational Center is a non-profit organization that was first established several decades ago, back in 1965, and is available to help people with the much-needed job training, along with a number of different services that helps disabled individuals to find employment in and around their local area. Many of the employees that are currently working for the ECVC have disabilities themselves and the company’s President, Bob Jones, is proud to have helped those disabled individuals find employment by offering them a position. Jones has said, “People are aware we’re in the recycling business, but most people are not aware of how we place people into jobs outside of the company.”

The ECVC has, over time, learned about the different limits that have been set on offering employment to individuals and has since been able to place hundreds of people who suffer from disabilities into positions with various employers. Some of the job positions that have been made available to these individuals include positions with fast food, housekeeping, various types of food services and even manufacturing positions. An employment specialist, Brandi Bragg, has said, “It all depends on the person’s abilities and interests and employers’ needs.” Bragg says that they are constantly going out of their way to let the community know that people with disabilities can work just as well as an individual without disabilities. In fact, Bragg says, “We tell them that people with disabilities can work and be a part of the community.”

A job placement for an individual is considered successful once the individual has been working within that position for the past three months, at least 90 full days. Of the 105 individuals who received placement within different positions, a total of 78 individuals continued on with the job over 90 days, which is definitely a good thing. It is also important that transportation is available to these disabled individuals to ensure that they are able to get to and from work without a problem. The ECVC regularly receives a grant each year from the Department of Transportation, providing transportation to the disabled individuals, which ultimately helps with the success of the program as well.