At one time, Vantage Group was an agency that offered only residential supports to its consumers. Then along came Kirk. Kirk has been a consumer of Vantage, receiving residential supports for about seven years. At one time, Kirk received vocational supports from another agency. Support from this agency wasn't exactly working out all that well for Kirk. The sayings "too many cooks spoil the broth" and "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing", aptly described the experience Kirk had at the time.

It was at Kirk's prompting that Vantage offered him vocational supports. This was a brand new concept for Vantage, since, up to this point, it had only offered residential supports to its consumers. It was at this time that I was hired to work with Kirk. The whole experience of helping Kirk look for a job was challenging, discouraging, frustrating, rewarding and fun all wrapped up in one. To quote Kirk- he described the process as "challenging and it made me happy to find a job." Allow me to elaborate a little further on this.

At the onset, Kirk was given the opportunity to work with Rodney Palmer, our agency's maintenance contractor, as an apprentice. Daily, Kirk and I would meet with Rodney at various job sites and Rodney would teach Kirk how to do a variety of different jobs. Through this experience, Kirk has learned how to scrape, prime and paint decks, use a saw, use power tools, and the list goes on. All of this training benefited Kirk in the way that he learned new skills while boosting his self-esteem at the same time. Kirk described his apprenticeship as being "fun and it made me glad to learn new skills." I agree with Kirk. I felt that this time was well spent on giving Kirk valuable new skills which he will now always have.

It was also during this time that Kirk and I "hit the pavement" in search of a new job. After conversing with Kirk as to what area of work he would like to go into, I would look weekly in the classified ads for positions that would be of interest to him. We also spoke with Vantage supervisors for any additional leads that they might have on prospective jobs. In addition to that, Kirk and I would venture out to various places of business to fill out applications. Very often we would hear responses such as "We'll call you." or "we're all set right now." I often left wondering how much truth there really was to those comments.

After looking for a few months with absolutely no luck, Kirk and I started to become a little discouraged. Luckily, he and I had a very good working relationship and we got along well. We enjoyed each others company. I believe that this helped us to get through this somewhat frustrating period.

Then Kirk came up with the idea that he would like to work at Bally's Fitness Center. So we went to Bally's to fill out yet another application. (Kirk was getting to be a pro at this by now!) Well, luck was on our side that day. Kirk had a short interview and was promised a job. A short time after Kirk was called back for a few more interviews and was officially hired as a maintenance worker at the new club. You can imaging how ecstatic we both were! After months of searching, he finally obtained the job of his choice. Kirk works five days a week and has been employed there for about three months now. As a job coach, I supported Kirk daily for about three weeks during his training. Kirk is doing so well that I now only need to stop in about once a month. He is a reliable and conscientious employee and is well liked by both his fellow employees and members of the health club.

From this entire experience, I have learned that there are a few factors that played a major role in making the transition to offering vocational supports a smooth one. One is self-determination on the part of the consumer. Kirk was determined to find a job that would suit him, regardless of any obstacles that come his way. Another is consistency. It is crucial that the consumer has one person that is there consistently to offer supports. It is just as important for the employer to have one person to contact with any problems or concerns. Another important factor is communications between the person and the job coach. The job coach needs to know how to relate to the consumer through this sometimes difficult process. The consumer also needs to feel comfortable enough to be able to share his thoughts and opinions at any time.

Vantage Group is dedicated to offering personal and consistent supports rather than "a program" to all of our consumers who are seeking to obtain vocational opportunities.