EmploymentWorks
Offering employment preparedness training and experiential learning through hands-on or simulated job sampling experiences for autistic youth, adults and persons with disabilities.
Over the last 10 years, Miriam Foundation has had the opportunity to be a leader in Quebec by getting involved in employment projects funded by the Federal Government. This involvement falls directly in line with our Continuum of Services philosophy.
Since 2017, the Miriam Foundation has offered the EmploymentWorks program which provides rich, fun, and interactive content and experiences to improve the employment futures of youth and adults, aged 15-64, who live with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or Intellectual Disabilities (ID)The program offers employment preparedness workshops for those looking to practice the essential skills needed to obtain meaningful and sustainable paid employment. The program focuses on social, communication, and job skill development in a variety of workplace settings.
The program is delivered over a twelve (12) week period for a total of sixty (60) hours and provides structured learning sessions and job sampling sessions that allow participants to practice the learned concepts in a real work environment. The second part of the program supports the participants’ labor market participation, in collaboration with their supported employment counsellor (Action Main d’Oeuvre, Ometz, L’Etape) or their social worker from Centre de réadaptation en déficience intellectuelle et en troubles envahissants du développement (CRDITED).
Additionally, employer participation allows those employers to gain knowledge, shatter myths and acquire confidence in the skills and capabilities of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and the contributions they make to the workplace. They also reap the rewards of an inclusive and accessible workplace through improved corporate diversity, employee engagement and retention, productivity, and positive shifts in culture and morale.
Since the program was launched, the Miriam Foundation has delivered eight (8) cohorts, for a total of sixty-four (64) young adults. More than 30 of these individuals are now employed or have returned to school. As one participant recently said: “I couldn’t have done this without you”.
For more information on EmploymentWorks, please visit: https://employment-works.ca/