Vocational Services:

Progress Industries provides two distinct work services programs – Job Preparation and COPE. 

The goal of the Job Preparation and COPE work services programs at Progress Industries is to provide work training to enable a person with a disability, to improve their work skills and obtain a community job. Training focuses on developing work habits and work skills consistent with the abilities and needs of each person served.   

Persons enrolled in the Job Preparation program are expected to work to improve their skills through paid work and unpaid work training curriculum to transition to community employment or increased self-sufficiency.  The COPE program is designed for persons with mental health needs to increase their potential for vocational success by creating a work setting in which their symptoms will be more effectively managed, and hopefully reduced.  In this manner, the individual’s work and coping skills are upgraded, as is their ability to function effectively in their own working community. 

Work assignments vary in nature. However, most jobs are bench work, simple assembly type jobs, or simple to more complex packaging operations. Production quantities are recorded, and persons served are paid according to percent of industrial standard.

 

Most persons served in Job Preparation are scheduled to attend the program five days per week from 8:00 a.m. to:00 2:00 p.m. Most persons served in COPE are scheduled to attend the program on a part-time morning or afternoon schedule from 8:00 am to 11:30 am or 11:30 to 3:00 pm.  Length of scheduled days may vary according to fluctuations in work available. Supervision varies from 1:1 to 1:15 (staff:person served ratio).