Vocational Programs

The end goal of vocational training is to prepare individuals to obtain competitive jobs in the community. For those who are highly motivated, there are many ways to carve out jobs for even those with severe disabilities. For some individuals, employment may not be a reasonable goal.

See the section on Employment for more information about HARC's program that actually gets people hired and coaches them on the job.

Vocational training includes real work for which individuals are compensated. By Federal Law, wages for people with disabilities who complete tasks slowly can be calculated based on what a typical employee would accomplish during the same time frame.

Some work is done in the factory-like setting of Tampa Work Services, while others get experience in office settings or even outdoors. Some individuals go out on work crews and enclaves where they....

In addition to real work experience, vocational training may include the learning of basic skills needed for the workplace, including academic skills, self management skills, communication skills and social skills.