RADAR program aims to connect disabled job seekers with apprenticeship opportunities

UTICA , N.Y. — The Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties is hoping to close the employment gap for people with disabilities.

Its new Regional Apprenticeship Development and Readiness (RADAR) program, funded by a nearly $3 million Apprenticeship Building America grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, focuses on developing job-training programs to connect job seekers with local companies that need workers.

“A lot of our unemployed population is mostly made up of individuals with disabilities,” says Sommer Edwards, project director for RADAR. In New York, there is currently a 36 percentage point gap in the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled individuals.

For many with disabilities, lack of access to training and other support they may need is the major roadblock to finding a job, Edwards says. RADAR, which just launched in early September, aims to fill that void by working with local companies to establish apprenticeship programs. 

“Instead of college, people can go right to work and get paid to learn the job,” she says. Most apprenticeships last anywhere from one to three years, and the apprentice becomes a regular full-time employee after that. 

Starting as an apprentice and working with a mentor on the job can help someone who is disabled and has struggled to find employment feel confident and secure as they learn a new job, Edwards says. The end result of that is a happier employee who is less likely to leave the company.

RADAR hosted a virtual job fair on Sept. 28 for businesses and job seekers in Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, Onondaga, and Cortland counties. 

Currently, RADAR has partnerships with some companies that already have apprentice programs in the trades and manufacturing but is looking to expand to additional businesses. 

“Not everyone wants to or even can go into the trades,” Edwards notes, so the hope is to offer at least five different occupation options once the program is fully up and running.

Edwards says businesses may be reluctant to start an apprenticeship program thinking that it is costly or worried they may have to modify the workspace. However, there are cash incentives for businesses that start a program and RADAR can reimburse the company for up to 50 percent of the cost of on-the-job training.

While the word disability might conjure up a specific image, Edwards points out that disability doesn’t just mean a visible physical disability. RADAR is open to any job seeker that has an Americans with Disabilities Act-recognized disability, she says. The ADA recognizes anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities.

Businesses with apprenticeship programs may also be eligible for tax incentives, and firms can benefit from fostering an inclusive environment, she adds.