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This program was made possible in part through the generous support of the
Cisco Foundation
“The Cisco Systems Foundation is focused on making a measurable impact by funding organizations that strengthen the local communities in which we operate and where our employees live” said Michael Yutrzenka, executive director of the Cisco Systems Foundation. “We are proud to support local nonprofits like PACE that share similar values and are dedicated to building stronger and more sustainable communities in the Bay Area."
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The Vocational Program at PACE
endeavors to provide our clients the opportunity and instructional support necessary to gain independence, community awareness, daily living skills, job skills training, and job or college class placement within the community. All older students at PACE School have a vocational readiness or training component incorporated into their goals. Students are first placed in the Vocational Readiness Program to ensure that they develop the prerequisite skills necessary for them to transition into the Vocational Training Program.
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The Vocational Training Program exposes students to work environments where they can hone the skills necessary to perform a specific job. Our coffee shop/school store provides a wide array of opportunities including sweeping, cleaning, table setting, stocking shelves, inventory, food shopping, preparing for customers, and operating the cash register. An office training area is available for the practice of mail delivery, filing, sorting, and typing, as well as other office skills such as collating and tri-folding. Our school resource room houses an area for both our school library and a practice video store. Our small vegetable and flower gardens provide practice in watering, planting, and general plant care. Students also practice their daily living skills in real settings at our nearby PACE Residential Homes.
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Much of the success of our program is due to the participation of various businesses and organizations within the community who have graciously allowed our students to gain valuable work training in real work environments outside of the PACE School. Union 76, Texaco, Spartan Shops Dining Commons at SJSU, and Resource Area for Teachers (RAFT) have been early collaborators since the early stages of our program. Through the efforts of PACE staff, most notably PACE Vocational Job Developer Tracy Smith, we have secured a whole host of new sites for our clients over the course of the last six months to a year. Aquatic Life Forms, Inc., Fresh Choice at Vallco Mall, Glo Nightclub, Homestead Lanes, Parents Helping Parents, Pediatric Play Therapy, Play It Again Sports, Prusch Farm Park, SEIU Local 715, Streetlight Records, and Tru Value Hardware, have opened their doors to our students and should be recognized and applauded for their support.
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We continually seek additional avenues to expand services to our clients. We are currently vendor approved through the San Andreas Regional Center (SARC) as a commmunity-based Adult-Day Program. We also recently aligned ourselves with NISH (formerly the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped) as an associate member of their family of Community Rehabilitation Programs (CRPs). We hope this association will assist us in obtaining federal job contracts under the Javits-Wagner-O’Day (JWOD) Program.
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For more information, or should you have possible job opportunities for one of our students, please contact Anne Chen, Coordinator of PACE Vocational Program (408) 245-3408 or annechen@pacificautism.org
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