The DSAGSL Pop Up Marketplace and Ready 2 Work Employment and Training Program is back! We are so excited to continue offering all the amazing employment programming that we’ve had so much success with, plus some exciting new additions!
We are Open for Business! To start, we have re-opened the Pop-Up Marketplace. It has been a bit of a challenge to find places to “pop-up” as most businesses are still being cautious about extra visitors. However, we have found some community events and markets to host us, as well as invited folks to the DSAGSL office to see what our Marketplace employees have to offer. It is a great opportunity for program participants to get on-the-job training and practice customer service and sales skills.
We have also developed a great new product, freshly roasted coffee, which emerged out of a new partnership with Alpha & Omega coffee bar in O’Fallon, MO. The 3•21 Roasting program allows participants to help roast the coffee beans, package the beans, or ground coffee, in 12 oz. bags, label the bags, sign their name on each bag they pack, and then sell the product at a Pop-Up Marketplace. This aspect of the program provides the opportunity to practice following procedures, sorting and packaging, creative decision making/branding, working as a team (or, working with co-workers) and interacting with customers.
In addition, our coffee accessories have been very popular, including 20 oz. tumblers with our 3•21 Roasting logo, available in many colors, and coffee cups hand-painted by people with Down syndrome. For more information on how to purchase these items, visit: dsagsl.org/employment.
Finally, we have started up employment classes again. Our 8-week Employment Academy course focuses on workplace behaviors, “job & people” skills development, , job searching skills like applications and resumes, interviewing, how to present yourself to hiring managers, and so much more.
DSAGSL kicked off the Employment Academy classes with a Spring 2022 session that had 5 graduates. The next session begins July 12th at the DSAGSL office. To learn more, visit dsagsl.org/employment.
If you are someone who would like to join the Ready 2 Work Employment Program, and are interested in participating in Employment Academy, or if you are an employer looking to hire someone with Down syndrome, please reach out to our Employment Program Manager, Don Williams – don@dsagsl.org or 314-961-2504
Hiring People with Disabilities – It Just Makes Good Business Sense!
- It is a return on investment: By hiring people with disabilities, a business can access new markets, improve productivity through innovation, reduce hiring and training costs, and increase retention.
- New and exciting marketing opportunities: Customers with disabilities and their families, friends, and associates represent a trillion dollar market segment. A large number of Americans also say they prefer to patronize businesses that hire people with disabilities.
- Think innovation: Employees with disabilities bring unique experiences and understanding that transform a workplace and enhance products and services. People with disabilities can help create more efficient and effective business processes, use technology in new ways to increase productivity, and stimulate new product and services development.
More Resources on Employment
