Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment (WWCE)

The mission of the Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment (WWCE) is to successfully assist individuals with disabilities in becoming prepared for employment, higher education, and / or other career development goals by maximizing employment, occupational, and self-sufficiency skills. This mission is accomplished through the provision of career and technical education training and related instructional supports to prepare individuals with disabilities for competitive entry-level employment in growth occupations. Career and technical education training programs and related instructional supports offered by the Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment are congruent with this mission. All instruction is competency-based, including current knowledge, skills, and work ethics relevant to specific occupational fields.

The provision of related instructional supports is an integral component of career and technical education training provided through the Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment to assist each person served in meeting his/her employment and occupational skills training goals. The need for related instructional supports is identified through the rehabilitation team process. Academic support services include: achievement testing; technical-related academic remediation and skill development specific to a career path or goal; and, GED preparation and testing. In addition, students may access services through the WWRC Life Skills Transition Program to build and / or strengthen work habits, attitudes, and behaviors critical to occupational success. The Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center (WWRC) Media / Resource Center offers educational, technology, and other resource supports to assist instructional staff and students in curricular needs.

The Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment utilizes an open entry / open exit system for new student enrollments. Applicants are accepted, on a first come, first served basis, contingent on general WWRC Admissions Criteria, required (pre) requisite skills, if any, (WWCE Course Offerings and Program Completion Requirements), and program availability for the area of interest. Enrollment dates are coordinated between the WWRC Admissions and Center for Employment Offices.

Progress reports are formally prepared and issued every six-weeks. Students have the right to request a more frequent review of progress towards training goals, individually with the instructor, and/or through a rehabilitation team meeting, as indicated. Similarly, any member of the student’s rehabilitation team may request an interim meeting, as needed.

Students participating in service or paraprofessional occupational track training programs through the Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment are graded on a numeric scale of 1-5. Students participating in professional occupational track training programs are graded on an alphabetical scale (A-F):

• A = 94-100
• B = 87-93
• C = 80-86
• F = 79 or below

The Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment offers a variety of career and technical education training programs within targeted service, paraprofessional, and professional occupational clusters. Each training program is individually sequenced, based on learning needs and other aspects of the rehabilitation program. Therefore, length of program is indicated as an average, with any program anticipated to exceed 25% of the average length requiring rehabilitation team intervention.

All students fully enrolled in a career and technical education training program participate in at least one successful community-based internship experience, typically 4-6 weeks in length, as a requisite to graduation. The internship experience offers an opportunity for the student to demonstrate mastery of and apply acquired skills in an industry setting, under the guidance of a business mentor. Internship experiences are graded by the business mentor and serve as a final, independent evaluation of the student’s skill attainment and mastery.

Graduates are awarded a “Certificate of Attainment” upon satisfactory completion of all course requirements. For those individuals completing a minimum of 80% of course requirements but exiting WWRC prior to full graduation, a “Summary of Skills Certificate” will be awarded upon official documentation of satisfactory employment for a minimum of ninety days in a field directly related to the training received through the Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment. Commencement ceremonies are conducted quarterly and are open only to graduates who achieve a full "Certificate of Attainment".

Transcripts are available, upon request, by contacting the WWRC Records Management Department. A transcript will contain the program of study, courses or units completed with corresponding grades, clock hours attended, and dates of attendance.

Tuition, fees, and other associated costs for Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center (WWRC) programs and services are published annually. Students attending the Life Skills Transition Program at WWRC will receive a per diem charge. Other charges will be billed, on a case-by-case basis, dependent on area of residence and other services received while enrolled at WWRC. For information about potential funding resources, contact the WWRC Admissions Office.

Except for grant initiatives conducted under its auspices, Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment career and technical education training programs, including related instructional supports, are accredited by the postsecondary accreditation body of the Accrediting Commission of the Council on Occupational Education (COE) .

The Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment is an approved training provider under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). The Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment also serves secondary education students with disabilities who meet WWRC admissions criteria; secondary education services are provided in accordance with all applicable federal and state special education laws and regulations.

Vocational Training Programs - FY07 Annual Report (Word - 139KB)
Vocational Training Programs - FY06 Annual Report (Word - 110KB)
Vocational Training Programs - FY05 Annual Report (Word - 124KB)
Vocational Training Programs - FY04 Annual Report (Word - 147KB)

All persons exiting Woodrow Wilson Center for Employment training programs are contacted at one-year post exit for follow-up purposes. Data obtained through through telephone surveys is reported both quarterly and annually. Individuals are interviewed about their employment status and general satisfaction with services received. Employment information gathered and reported includes place of employment, position, hours, wages and benefits.

Greg Dodge, Rehabilitation Counselor, Fishersville Office, notified Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center of a successful training, employment and case closure for J.P., a 2004 graduate of WWRC’s Business and Information Technology Training Program. He shared the following information with Ann Gardner, Rehabilitation Counselor, Joe Russo, Counselor, Cindy Bassett, Placement Counselor, and Phillippa Holley, Instructor: “… she is earning $8.64 an hour and has benefits and insurance. She is working 40+ hours a week…. as a Registration Clerk in the Emergency Room at Augusta Medical Center… she stated all is well with her job and she is very happy as are her parents”.

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C.K., 2003 graduate of Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center’s Computer Assisted Drafting Training Program, was hired in February, 2005 as a draftsperson at R Steel, a structural metalwork industry located in Verona, Virginia. C.K.’s Rehabilitation Counselor, Sharon Flory, Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired, reported that her employer “saw her just as competent in her skills as those coming from the Associate Degree program through Blue Ridge Community College” and were impressed with her overall abilities. C.K. successfully completed the Mechanical and Architectural Drafting curricula while at WWRC and received outstanding marks in her internship through Hershey Food, Stuart’s Draft. Her WWRC Rehabilitation Counselor was Emily Huffman.

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B.C., completed an External Training Option program in housekeeping in 2005. Given exceptional performance in her training program, she was hired through Abacus to work at WWRC. She began employment on July 18th, working full-time. Her DRS Field Counselor is Greg Dodge, Fishersville Office; her WWRC Rehabilitation Counselor was Christine Day.

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R.B., a student with a head injury trained through WWRC’s Drafting Program, was nearing the completion of his coursework and preparing for his internship experience, when his wife began her residency as a Chiropractic physician at a hospital in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He effectively worked with his DRS counselor and assigned rehabilitation team at WWRC to coordinate and facilitate successful completion of his rehabilitation goals while addressing his family needs. Having successfully completed his internship experience in August, 2005 and since hired as an entry level drafting technician at the Wyoming Department of Transportation Bridge Section, he is scheduled to graduate from WWRC’s Drafting Training Program with the September, 2005 cohort. WWRC Instructors, A.D. Strickland and Ed West, along with Emily Huffman, Rehabilitation Counselor, have continued to stay in close contact with R.B. throughout his internship. Emily shared the following information with his instructors and DRS Counselor, Warren Blatz, from a recent contact: “R.B. relays he loves his job. He is keeping busy, but also is involved in a walking program with other employees every day so he is staying fit and happy with the job. …. R.B. says the people here in Cheyenne are wonderful”. At the end of his internship period, his immediate supervisor at the Wyoming Department of Transportation Bridge Section reported to WWRC Instructor A.D. Strickland: “R.B. has a positive outlook, is cordial in his dealings with others, and demonstrates the technical capability to complete the tasks required of a new employee…..I am confident in his future ability and potential”.

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D.S., June, 2000 graduate of WWRC’s Drafting Training Program, was driving through the Shenandoah Valley on his vacation and decided to stop at WWRC to see his former Instructor, A.D. Strickland. D.S. has a mental illness and originally came to WWRC after a hospitalization. Mr. Strickland reports that D.S. was an outstanding student and demonstrated his exemplary skills by completing the otherwise 15 month training program in only 12 months. He was immediately hired by a drafting firm in Richmond, Virginia, but left after four weeks due to a medication problem that needed attention to stabilize his mental health. D.S. excitedly shared that he has been working at Clough Harbour Associates, LLC, for the past 4 years, earning $32,000 to start as a draftsperson, with a current salary of $55,000 annually.

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Tina Weems, Educational Diagnostician and Instructor, received a GED testing referral during the 2004-2005 school year of a unique nature relative to a foreign exchange student from Vietnam residing in West Virginia at time of the referral to WWRC. Per the referral information, this Student was scheduled to return to Vietnam by the end of June, 2005, but intended to return for college in Texas for the Fall, 2005 semester. Since she could not receive a standard diploma from her exchange status in West Virginia, it was requested that she take the GED before leaving for Vietnam and to use this as her college entrance requirement. This student took the test at WWRC and passed “with flying colors”, receiving a composite score of 3160, with a minimum composite score of 2250 AND average 450 per test required to pass. WWRC’s ability to provide this single service on special request filled an immediate gap for this foreign exchange student, allowing her to achieve her dream of access to postsecondary education in the United States.

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T.W., a September, 2003 graduate of WWRC’s External Training Option Program and a former PERT student, received the President Woodrow Wilson Award at her quarterly graduation ceremony. This award is presented to a graduate who demonstrates exceptional effort, tenacity, or initiative in the achievement of personal and vocational growth goals while completing their program. When T.W. first arrived at WWRC for her initial PERT Program, she was very shy. However, after her first week in PERT, she started warming to the experience and was better able to participate. During the summer PERT Situational Assessment Program, T.W. spent her time in Independent Living, where she was able to enhance her household chores and living environment skills. After high school graduation, T.W. enrolled in WWRC’s External Training Option Program to further her vocational training at the local SPCA as a Kennel Attendant where a set routine was established for her. Her progress was enhanced by the development of a training book of photographs by her ETO Instructor, Diane Hinch, which included each stage of her job duties. This proved to be a beneficial tool for T.W. At the end of her training period, another talking book was developed which contained comments from her peers and teachers to use as a reference for future job placements. T.W. was also able to improve her personal growth through the activities she participated in with the evening Leisure Skills group. She began to develop better social skills with peers and staff, and she was awarded the Recreation Services Student of the Month award in March, 2003. She displayed good sportsmanship at all times and was an enthusiastic participant in WWRC’s bowling league and softball team, but also participated in swimming and camping trips. She also received an award for sportsmanship on the softball team. WWRC staff members shared the following in their nominations for the President Woodrow Wilson Award: “T.W. has shown consistent improvement and growth in alertness, attitude, interest, responsiveness, and communication…. She has worked hard at attaining many of the goals set for herself… she has developed mechanisms of learning to assist her in sustaining her strong work ethic”. T.W. has been successfully employed at Perfect Pets in Richmond, Virginia since September, 2004 as an animal caretaker, earning $6.06 per hour and working 33 hours per week.

Ms. Maggie Clower
Principal

WWRC Admissions Office:

Toll-Free (800) 345-9972
TTY (800) 811-7893

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 1500, Box W-81
Fishersville, Virginia 22939