The Arc Northwest Mississippi offers a Summer Work Experience | DeSoto County News

Incomes an additional greenback and getting some much-desired work expertise is behind a program with The Arc Northwest Mississippi referred to as the Summer time Work Expertise. The Arc Northwest Mississippi is the non-profit advocacy group to offer alternatives and assist for youngsters and adults with mental and developmental disabilities and their households.  

The Summer time Work Expertise is a part of the Mississippi Division of Rehabilitation Companies-funded Pre-ETS, or Pre-Employment Transition Companies, program. In Pre-ETS, individuals aged 14-21 through the college 12 months are uncovered to numerous associated classes, from job exploration, office readiness, work-based studying expertise, self advocacy, and post-secondary training. 

It’s the work-based studying expertise the individuals have been doing this summer season at 10 completely different DeSoto County areas within the Summer time Work Expertise.  

“It helps them understand the form of jobs that they wish to have, what sort of jobs they don’t wish to have, and realizes a number of the pursuits that they could not know that they’ve,” mentioned The Arc Northwest Mississippi Program Director Amanda Brown. “It’s all kinds of various companies and completely different jobs throughout the companies that they allow us to do.”  

Among the many locations the place Northwest Mississippi has individuals working 1-2 hour shifts of assorted jobs are Vacation Inn Categorical, Superlo Meals, the Misplaced Pizza Co., SouthPoint Church, 2 Loopy Fellas, Uptown Thrift, Naked Bathtub Necessities, DeSoto Athletic Membership (DAC), Mickey’s Popcorn, and P. Walker Journey Company and Excursions.

The roles ranged from cleansing, stocking groceries and cabinets, wrapping silverware, folding pizza containers, and organizing clothes gadgets, to creating laundry detergent and bathtub bombs, placing packets collectively for drivers, aiding in pc entries and scanning paperwork.  

Work schedules are not more than two hours in a day and for varied variety of days, relying on the situation.  

“It could be a number of repetitive work, however there’s by no means any down time,” Brown mentioned. “You’re at all times busy doing one thing right here.”

The employees are paid by way of the Arc Northwest Mississippi month-to-month. “They bought a verify on the finish of June and they’re going to get a verify on the finish of July,” Brown mentioned. 

A check run of the Summer time Work Expertise was completed with 4 companies collaborating final summer season. Brown mentioned it went rather well and led to this system increasing to 10 companies this summer season.  

Discover out extra about The Arc Northwest Mississippi web site.