Career and Transition Services
St. Joseph’s Villa provides a collection of services designed to help students acquire skills for employment post-graduation. Many of these services are ones which the Villa has provided for the past five years; the news is that these services are now provided as an integrated program to help people develop the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and in life..
“Career and Transition Services” (CATS) is the “umbrella” name for the Villa’s collection of services. CATS includes individual services to help people acquire skills for employment. The steps are:
- Assessment – Individual students are evaluated through computer software, including MECA (Microcomputer Evaluation of Careers and Academics) and RTIS (Response to Intervention Series), as well as through personal discussions and observations, to determine current skill levels, aptitudes, interests and learning styles.
- Plan formation – Working with the student, Villa counselors develop a systematic plan to help the student visualize program completion and develop steps to acquire the skills which will make that vision a reality.
- Classroom instruction – Villa staff work with each student in a controlled classroom setting, which provides greater focus for skill acquisition.
- Work Adjustment Training – Students work on-site at one of the Villa’s five specialized work centers to use the skills and behaviors they have learned in the classroom setting. Work centers include:
- Culinary Services – Assist with preparation and delivery of meals and snacks for the Villa’s 500 clients and staff.
- Donation Center – Receive donated goods and prepare and maintain display shelves.
- Environmental Services – Custodial and maintenance tasks in Villa buildings.
- Recycling Program – Gather and process recyclable materials.
- Inventory Management – Inventory, deliver and reorder textbooks and office supplies using barcode scanners and software tracking system.
- Office Skills – Assist with office tasks including printing, mailing services and mail delivery.
- Other – Work site programs (for instance, vehicle detailing) also can be developed to meet the interests of individual students.
- Off-site instruction – Working with community partners including Positive Vibe Café and Old Navy Stores, students develop a stronger skill set in an actual work environment.
In late 2010, the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS) approved
St. Joseph’s Villa as a provider of rehabilitative services, including
Work Adjustment Training, to students with developmental disabilities. Curriculums
were developed and implemented. The CATS program fully arrived with the recent
purchase of software and specialized equipment (for instance, bar code scanners
and recycling equipment), as well as the expansion of the Culinary Arts Center
at St. Joseph’s Villa.
Career and Transition Services are offered to at-risk youth in Dooley School, to students at the Sarah Dooley Center for Autism and to parents in the Villa's Flagler Family Services programs.
For more information about the Villa's CATS program, please contact Matthew Kreydatus, Directo, at (804) 553-3224 or via email.
For a fact sheet on the Villa's CATS program, please click HERE.
