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Transition to civilian life is often complicated and overwhelming. Without the proper support, many veterans find themselves disconnected from the community and services that they need to adjust. In Hawaii, many veterans become homeless as a result of these challenges; they face incredible obstacles to rejoining their communities. PRIDE Industries has partnered with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide employment services, job training, and more to help veterans overcome these barriers.

Going Beyond Employment Services for Veterans in Hawaii

Sean Sullivan was enthusiastic to support people with disabilities and other barriers to employment, including our nation’s veterans. He became an AbilityOne Recruiter and Employment Services Manager with PRIDE Industries in 2015. Since then he has been providing practical assistance to veterans struggling to find jobs and adapt to civilian life. 

 

But Sean’s efforts did not stop at employment and training services. He connected with Jackie Nguyen, the Community Employment Coordinator (CEC) of the VA Homeless Veterans Employment Services, to explore additional ways they could improve outreach and job placement efforts to address more of the barriers that veterans were facing. 

 

“When I started as a recruiter, many veterans were referred to my office for placement into PRIDE Industries,” Sean said. “Due to increasing demand, we began to offer services to place people into other jobs and careers in the community, addressing the barriers and obstacles that they faced in getting a job, including housing, transportation, mental and physical health, and transitioning from the military into civilian life.”

Helping Veterans Find Jobs in Their Community

“We both found that many veterans struggle to look for new jobs through USAJOBs or other traditional methods that they are encouraged to use,” said Sean. “Jackie and I strategized on ways to increase the numbers of unemployed veterans placed in employment. Our first course of action was to reach out to employers, like Marriott Hotels, in person, to show how PRIDE Industries and the VA work together to provide employment support for veterans. We emphasize how hiring our nation’s veterans can make a business a true partner in strengthening our communities.”

 

To help veterans gain job skills, Sean and Jackie began hosting monthly workshops at the Department of Labor and elsewhere. Activities include resume writing, interview role play, team building exercises, and learning how to apply for jobs on USAJOBS. 

 

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Hawaii also participated in the workshops and provided insights and tips to workshop attendees on how to apply for Federal jobs,” said Sean.

Connecting Veterans with Local Employers

In October 2019, PRIDE worked with the Homeless Veterans Employment services to start conducting monthly job fairs. The local Veteran Center and American Job Center were gracious to allow the employment team free use of their space. Promoted locally, the job fair takes place on the first Monday of each month. The local Disability:In Hawaii Chapter and other businesses on Oahu invite employers to interview and offer jobs on the spot.

 

“So far, since the monthly job fairs started, we have had seven (7) veterans offered jobs on the spot, and an additional nine (9) interviews scheduled in December 2019. We look forward to getting more veterans hired in 2020 and partnering with more businesses to fulfill their staffing need for a qualified workforce,” said Sean.

 

PRIDE Industries offers a variety of employment services for veterans in Hawaii and across the country. Find out how our vocational training, job placement services, and internship opportunities can help you build a strong career path.

Are you a veteran?

Contact our Veterans Employment Advantage Program for support.

“We emphasize how hiring our nation’s veterans can make a business a true partner in strengthening our communities.”

AUBURN, CALIFORNIA 

InterMotive Vehicle Controls, a leading manufacturer of wheelchair interlock systems, has expanded its partnership with PRIDE Industries to build an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance product.

 

PRIDE and InterMotive have had a symbiotic relationship for almost 20 years. PRIDE is the largest employer of people with disabilities in California and is InterMotive’s main supplier for product components. The transit and paratransit industries are the heart of InterMotive sales for wheelchair lift interlocks. In fact, InterMotive provides safety interlocks for PRIDE buses, used to transport people with disabilities to and from work safely.

 

Now the two companies are advancing their collaboration to the next level. In keeping with their mission to empower people with disabilities, PRIDE plans to pilot InterMotive’s new ADA Talking Bus system, providing the electronics manufacturing for the product, which will help improve the transit experience for riders.

 

“FlexSpeak ADA is an audio/visual voice annunciator system that communicates bus route stop details and safety messages to passengers,” said InterMotive President Greg Schafer. “It can help people with disabilities feel more independent while riding public transportation. The focus of InterMotive and PRIDE are perfectly in sync with this project.”

 

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InterMotive Vehicle Controls provides commercial safety and performance optimization products. Our plug and play electronic control systems leverage a vehicle’s own data networks to enhance its functions in new ways. InterMotive specializes in custom solutions for the transit and paratransit, work truck, law enforcement, ambulance, fire truck, school bus, RV and personal-use mobility industries. To learn more, call 800-969-6080, visit www.intermotive.net or contact one of its dealers.

 

PRIDE Industries is one of the largest employers of people with disabilities, with expertise providing facility operations and maintenance services, custodial services, contract manufacturing, supply chain management and fulfillment services to public and private organizations nationwide. Founded in 1966, PRIDE creates paths to employment for people with disabilities through person-centered job coaching, training and placement.

PRIDE’s mission extends nationwide, assisting individuals to become self-sufficient, have a sense of purpose, contribute to their communities and achieve their goals. For Business Services, learn more at prideindustries.com. For People Services, learn more at prideindustries.org and follow PRIDE Industries on Facebook.

Media Contact
Kat Maudru

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.