Here is a question that is often asked: What resources are available to ensure that students with disabilities graduate from high school on time with the necessary skills to seamlessly transition into adulthood? To that, Roanoke City Public Schools (RCPS) has an answer.
RCPS’s longstanding partnership with SparkForce, a charitable foundation of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA), recently gave 50 students a unique camp experience.
“Dream It, Built It, Work It” was created to assist transition age students with disabilities between the ages of 16 to 24 to receive hands-on experience in manufacturing. In addition to learning life and job skills, participants also improve their communication skills while building projects, among other things.
Upon completion, students earn a major credential OSHA 10 certification.
To see what opportunities are available throughout the Roanoke Valley, students visit several area manufacturers to see firsthand what is possible in their future.
“Our kids need to have opportunities where they can fulfill their desires and goals. We are working to make sure that manufacturers understand that these are individuals who you can count on to get the job done,” Jess Truax, Work-Based Learning Coordinator for Roanoke City Public Schools, said. “Nearly 11 million Americans identify as having some type of disability. Only about 30 percent of them are in a fulfilling job. That’s a huge labor market that we can tap into.”
SparkForce Foundation Senior Manager Cindy Day added, “We are supporting 12 inclusive manufacturing camps across the country this summer, serving close to 200 individuals, young adults with disabilities, to help them gain the skills and the job prep to become employed in a manufacturing setting.”
“These camps are providing soft skills like how to work with teammates and conduct yourself in an interview. We want to spread the world that the manufacturing industry needs professionals. The only way to do that is to build a pipeline of future generations pursuing those career pathways,” she continued.
As Sha-nita Stokes sat there and watched her son, X’Zavier, accept his certificate, she couldn’t help but get overcome with emotions.
“It warmed my heart to see so many students like my son accomplish a goal while being surrounded by people who genuinely care about them,” she said. “Who knows, perhaps that next Roanoke entrepreneur is among these graduates? You can’t measure what confidence can do for a young person.”
All signs point to this program continuing in the future. Additional information can be found at https://daytec.rcps.info/about-our-school.
