Overcoming Employment Obstacles

Even though more jobs are available in Delaware than applicants to fill them, many residents face challenges to employment. Some are just starting out or re-entering the workforce. Others have disabilities or a criminal record. Still others may lack sufficient training, childcare or transportation. Fortunately, job seekers can find support from a variety of community organizations and businesses.

One key organization is Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County, which helps adults with all kinds of disabilities — intellectual, developmental, behavioral and physical — train for work opportunities. It also helps justice-involved individuals, veterans and others seeking to reenter the workforce (including those over age 55) get the skills and find the jobs that are right for them. Learn more here.

For justice-involved individuals, the National Restaurant Association’s HOPES (Hospitality Opportunities for People Reentering Society) program offers professional training and job placement services in Delaware. Learn more here. Other organizations that offer support are profiled in the following sections.

The Food Bank of Delaware
Along with its vital service of feeding the hungry, The Food Bank of Delaware also trains people for careers in the warehouse industry.

Its L.O.G.I.C. (Logistics, Operations, General Warehousing and Inventory Control) program is certified as a trade school by the Delaware Department of Education. “Students learn the basics of warehouse operation, as well as soft skills to succeed in a job,” says Anna McDermott, chief impact officer of the Food Bank, which has facilities in Newark and Milford.

L.O.G.I.C. training includes mornings in a classroom and 12 weeks on-site at the Food Bank, getting acquainted with equipment such as sit-down forklifts, electric pallet jacks, stand-up deep reach trucks, and cherry pickers. Participants can receive certificates such as Certified Logistics Associate (CLA) and Certified Logistics Technician (CLT), as well as OSHA-10 and others.

“We have a diverse group of students,” including recent high school grads, people switching careers, justice-involved people, those with disabilities, and participants who have dealt with substance abuse, says McDermott. Applicants must be at least 18, but there’s no upper age limit. “We’ve had people in their 70s graduate, and we get a lot of women.”

L.O.G.I.C.’s business partners include the M. Davis & Sons industrial construction company. Meals, transportation and uniforms are provided at no cost to students, McDermott says.

“We’ve graduated over 100 students in the past five years, and can serve up to 90 a year now,” says McDermott. “It’s no exaggeration when I say our job-training programs can change people’s lives and put them on a real path to success. I’ve seen it.”

Kent-Sussex Industries
Kent-Sussex Industries (KSI) offers support for Delaware residents with disabilities, providing daily-living skills and pathways to employment.

Its Pre-Vocational Training (PVT) Program is designed for people with intellectual/ developmental disabilities who seek employment. “The PVT Program offers progressive training to build both personal and job skills,” says Alicia Hollis, KSI’s director of community relations. “We first work on things like how to fill out a job application and interact with co-workers and supervisors. Then we go into more specific job training. Each person we serve has an individual support plan, so our staff really gets to know their goals.”

KSI contracts with several Delaware business partners, including Fastenal, Merck Animal Health and Proctor & Gamble. KSI participants tackle paid, part-time, on-the-job tasks ranging from office work to assembly-line and warehouse duties, working alongside company employees. “We also affiliate with Air Force Base Dover, where participants help sort and deliver mail,” says Hollis.

The Precisionists
The Precisionists, Inc. (TPI) is a Wilmington-based global IT and business administrative services company with a special mission.

“What’s unique is that a significant component of our workforce, by design, are neurodiverse individuals,” says founder and CEO Ernie Dianastasis.

TPI trains and employs adults to carry out project-based tasks for various clients, including software development and testing, database analytics, cybersecurity, back-office accounting, data entry and auditing reports.

“An estimated 75 to 80% of neurodivergent people are under- or unemployed. But to us, that doesn’t have to be the case,” says Dianastasis. “Our workforce includes people with autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia and Tourette Syndrome.”

“We don’t require resumes or interviews,” he adds. “Candidates come in and work on an initial project so we can gain insights into what their strengths are.”

Dianastasis explains the company’s name: “One of the common strengths of neurodiversity is being very precise and accurate with what you do. You can look at a lot of information and find accuracy, or notice subtle defects. We thought The Precisionists would be a positive, complimentary name that employees can take pride in.”

TPI’s business clients include Exelon, Delmarva Power, M&T Bank and KeyBank, Comcast, DuPont, CSC, and Drexel and Vanderbilt universities.

The Wilmington Alliance
The nonprofit Wilmington Alliance partners with business, community and civic leaders to create equitable development in the city of Wilmington. Its workforce development programs help residents from marginalized communities. A special focus is on overcoming employment barriers for justice-impacted individuals.

“More than half the residents of Wilmington have some sort of criminal record, many for low-level crimes, and 29% of Delawareans overall have a record,” says Renata Kowalczyk, CEO of the Alliance. “They’re often unable to find sustainable employment while, at the same time, there are more job openings than applicants. We’re trying to help close that gap.”

A current Alliance initiative is helping job seekers prepare for the Clean Slate Act, which took effect August 1.

“Clean Slate will automatically expunge criminal records for eligible people based on criteria set by the state legislature. This will in turn increase their opportunities for employment,” says Kowalczyk.

This summer, the Alliance will also help launch a pilot employment pipeline in partnership with the ChristianaCare healthcare services network. The program will provide training and jobs to residents from underserved communities, including those on probation and parole.

“The Alliance will serve as Employer Navigator to guide eligible people through the interview and hiring process,” explains Kowalczyk, who notes that positions at ChristianaCare could range from patient escorts to food preparation and housekeeping services. In addition, the new hires will receive training, case management, childcare, hous