For Businesses

Hotel Attendant Holding TowelsAs a workforce development partner, VR can help your business achieve its competitive advantage by developing qualified job candidates who are trained in a wide variety of skills and have the good work habits that you value. The ultimate goal is to match a VR consumer with the right job so that both the consumer and the business can be successful. VR has a dual customer approach by 1) helping individuals with disabilities, whom we refer to as consumers, find work and 2) providing a qualified, trained workforce to businesses across the state. VR’s Business Services Unit specifically focuses on the following areas to help you build success for your company through a more diverse workforce.

Planning

VR staff from your area, including your dedicated Business Development Specialist (BDS), will meet with you and other business and industry leaders to learn more about your specific business and workforce needs. They will also help you to assess current and anticipated hiring needs by identifying workforce trends. Our services include:

  • Employer site visits 
  • Informational presentations
  • Educational training sessions
  • Tours of our offices and training centers
  • Community resource referrals

Worker in a Coffee ShopRecruiting

We work with employers to help build a strong, diverse workforce through job fairs and vocationally-focused talent fairs. These events give you access to untapped talent pools of professionals that meet your needs. When a position becomes available, we assist you with hiring services such as:

  • Task analysis
  • Pre-screening
  • Candidate referral
  • Interview scheduling

Accessing Untapped Labor Pools

Everyone deserves a chance, and some people need a second chance. With just over one third of the individuals with disabilities in South Carolina being employed, VR can help you reach an untapped labor pool you may have not considered:

  • Individuals with disabilities
  • Ex-offenders
  • Veterans
  • Youth

Woman working on MechanicsEmployers from every job sector, including federal contractors, indicate that hiring VR consumers helps them reduce training costs and increase job retention rates while improving workforce diversity.

Preparation & Training 

When a consumer first starts with VR, a range of assessments is given to evaluate that person’s needs, strengths, and interests. Based on those results, VR’s training centers offer job preparedness classes and hands-on job readiness training that provide consumers with the foundational skills needed for more advanced training or the workplace. Training provided to consumers and available to or through your business include:

  • Occupational/vocational training
  • Customized training
  • Work-based learning experiences
  • Internships
  • Apprenticeships
  • On-the-job training

Through this instruction and hands-on projects, consumers learn the general soft skills as well as the industry-specific job skills needed to work. And, once a consumer is hired, VR provides follow up services for up to 120 days to ensure success for the consumer and your business.

Tax Credits

In addition to getting a qualified, trained, loyal employee, tax credits and other incentives are available to help with training, orientation and accommodation. These services are available to any entity that has a desire to have a more diverse workforce. Last year, nearly 1,200 businesses, ranging from large, household-name entities, to smaller “mom and pop shops,” worked with VR to expand their workforce.