DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) training has saturated corporate professional development and onboarding programs. This includes presentations, plans, and e-learning modules. While it is an important move forward for large corporations to prioritize various types of inclusion, the same need exists in the small business world. Business owners in our community are busy. While many businesses strive to give opportunities to young adults, they lack the training materials, methods, and time it takes to effectively bring up successful employees. What they can do is foster a teaching environment and culture, as well as address the needs of specific young employees. 

Let’s say a local business owner hired a young adult to work at a register in the local ice cream store. The main tasks that they are in charge of include following a list of cleaning upon closing, counting coins to match the change displayed on and calculated by the register, and dealing with various social situations that may arise during a shift. 

In the first week of employment, this student has trouble following directions for closing time. They struggled socially working with an aggravated customer. There were also 2 instances of customers stating they didn’t receive enough change back. The business owner spends time trying to work with the employee and it is found that the employee is not being defiant, they just can’t seem to grasp it in the way they present it to everyone else. The employee wants to do well, and the manager suspects it has far more to do with a difference in learning than defiance. 

Instead of a write-up for these actions resulting in termination, the employer can offer a meeting with our team to address the needs in different and creative ways. 

We create a plan to address these deficits. The student is offered to attend 3 weeks of our weekly instructional times. We have math instruction regarding money and coins, as well as social story cards to practice how to react in various situations, they will practice these skills in a setting where they are in a retail setting next to a certified instructor whose main mission is to promote growth. The desire is that they return to their role and continue to have sustainable employment into the future!

*These services are without charge, we only ask that you give back by donating to our program the amount you feel represents the work completed.