In a matter of months, Jordan Rowland’s confidence has soared. Last September, the 24-year-old, who lives with autism, joined a cohort in Bobby Dodd Institute’s Elevate Academy. He says he doubted his ability to succeed in the workplace and wasn’t sure what career path might be right for him.
Over the program’s eight months, Rowland developed self-advocacy skills, discovered the type of work environment where he thrives and gained confidence in his abilities. “I came in doubting my own competence in the employment field,” Rowland said. “And then I improved over eight months and had a bunch of surprising moments that caught me off guard.” Today, Rowland works at HD Supply in Marietta after completing an internship through the academy.
On July 20, Elevate Academy launched its second cohort of young adults ages 18 to 30. During the now five-month workforce development program, participants learn self-advocacy, social and interpersonal skills, financial literacy and workplace etiquette while preparing for competitive employment. The academy was created to help bridge a gap many young adults with disabilities face after high school, when finding employment can be challenging, said Christine Raiford, program manager for Elevate Academy.
Raiford said participants spend the first few weeks completing assessments and activities designed to identify their strengths, interests and workplace preferences. They then gain experience through internal internships, performing tasks such as data entry, scanning, spreadsheet management and other administrative work before moving into a paid internship with a local employer. Jordan Rowland is pictured following graduation from the Elevate Academy cohort in May.
Clements.) “Jordan is one of our success stories,” Raiford said. A lot of our interns don’t know what they want to do or what they are good at. Jordan stayed open.” Rowland interned at HD Supply.
Following his internship, the company offered him a permanent position in which he assembles gift bags and has taken on additional responsibilities. Other graduates of the inaugural 12-member cohort have been hired by TJ Maxx, Piedmont Hospital and Bobby Dodd Institute’s own warehouses, Raiford said. Pictured are members of the first cohort of participants in Bobby Dodd Institute’s Elevate Academy program.
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