Pathway Services to hold job fair

March 22-- Mar. 22--Pathway Services Unlimited will host its first job fair Tuesday -- exclusively for people with disabilities.

It's a new idea for the organization, which already employs some people with disabilities along with offering services for people with developmental disabilities or physical and mental challenges, Pathway Executive Director Steve Brundage said.

Pathway's new vocational program will create a variety of jobs, for which information will be available at the job fair.

"A lot of people are excited around here about that, so we'll see what happens," Brundage said.

If the job fair is a success, Pathway could make it a regular event or invite other organizations or businesses looking to employ people with disabilities to join in, Brundage said.

Pathway recently shut down its recycling pickup and reduced its recycling program and the organization is hoping to find new jobs for some of the people who were working in the recycling program, Brundage said.

The jobs Pathway is creating are only open to people with disabilities, who often are the last ones hired and the first fired, he said.

"We just know that the unemployment rate with the people we serve is very high," he said.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 8 percent in 2018, compared to 3.7 percent for those without a disability. The unemployment rate takes into account people who did not have a job, were available to work and were actively looking for a job.

Across all age groups, a person with a disability is more likely to be out of the labor force -- neither employed nor unemployed -- than a person without a disability.

Transportation should not be a problem for anyone interested in attending the job fair and working at Pathway because West Central Mass Transit District can accommodate pick-up and drop-off, Brundage said, noting that those vehicles are equipped with wheelchair lifts.

"They work hard to make sure our people with disabilities have transportation opportunities," Brundage said.

There is no set number of positions being created, but there will be a variety of jobs requiring different ability levels.

With some people only able to work an hour or two and others able to work an 8-hour shift, Pathway will set hours and fit employees into the schedule based on what they can do, Brundage said.

Jobs will be in The Attic resale shop, paper shredding, front desk services, outside trash clean-up, recycling and the community events crew. Pathway also is looking at creating some new jobs with a car wash station and an ice cream vending trailer.

The car wash station and ice cream vending trailer are test runs that could operate in the Pathway parking lot on West Morton Avenue, Brundage said.

"We've got a pretty busy corner out here and who doesn't like ice cream, right?" he said.

The organization also is looking into expanding its shredding program, possibly getting new shredders and shredders at a better height for employees in wheelchairs.

The job fair will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in Pathway's Community Room, 1905 W. Morton Ave.

___

(c)2019 the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.)

Visit the Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, Ill.) at www.myjournalcourier.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.