Community Living Essex County (CLEC), a not-for-profit charitable organization, has been committed to assisting people of all ages who have an intellectual disability and their families throughout Essex County since 1961 (communitylivingessex.org). The goals of CLEC are that all persons can live in a state of dignity, share in all elements of living in the community, and have the opportunity to participate effectively. Employment is one of the best examples of inclusion; it allows people to be an active member of their community while giving back. For many years, CLEC has provided Employment Services to people with intellectual disabilities, providing guidance with job development, job coaching and job retention. In April of 2015 CLEC’s First Choice – Employment project began. One of the initiative’s goals was to modernize the service delivery model specifically for its Employment Services. After a rebranding exercise, CLEC’s “Ready to Work” program was refreshed, and relaunched as “Career Compass”. Career Compass aims to create a diverse and inclusive workforce across Essex County by providing direction to job seekers searching for meaningful employment and guiding employers in inclusive hiring. This is achieved by working with both job seekers and business employers to meet these four criteria:
- have a direct employment contract with the employee
utilizing our services;
- pay the employee at least minimum wage;
- provide a work space where the employee works
alongside other employees;
- and provide a work environment where the employee has the opportunity to be engaged in workplace culture. Customer service is a new focus for Career Compass. Providing exceptional customer service experiences to the job seekers and families we work with, but also to the business employers we work with is our priority. For job seekers, we take the time to learn about each individual person, ensuring the job match is a perfect fit. Our team is always available to job seekers and their families even after meaningful employment has been found. We continue to check in with anyone receiving our services periodically. Workplaces change, and so do people’s interests. If more job coaching or a career change is need we can help. Employers can use us as an extension of their Human Resources Department to provide pre-screened candidates that meet their employment needs. We also hop to foster trust in our relationships with them. If an employee isn’t working out then our team can step in to provide extra on site job coaching. We also understand that no employer wants to fire their employees, which is why that fear is can be alleviated by our outplacement services: if the employee receiving our services simply is not the right fit – we will find them another place of employment and provide you a new employee better suited to that position. This is an exciting time for Career Compass! We’re combining our years of experience with a new modernized approach, and a brand new face. This page will document the life changing work we do with job seekers, and business employers across Essex County.
