Allied Vocational Rehabilitation
Welcome to Allied Vocational Rehabilitation School. We realize that every person has a unique situation. At Allied, we tailor your education to prepare you for a career that suits your needs. As a result, you are faced with new possibilities and the chance for a new future. As part of the Allied team you are welcome to post comments and newsworthy articles on this Vocational Rehabilitation Blog.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Did you know that 29 states have set renewable energy goals and that the current administration plans to invest $150 billion over 10 years towards our nation's clean energy economy? Now is the ideal time for your clients to pursue green career training and ensure their roles in a growing industry that needs qualified workers! And Allied has the flexible, online career training programs your clients need to prepare to enter this in-demand field, including:
-Business of Solar
-Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems
-Advanced Principles of Photovoltaic Systems
-LEED - Green Building Practices
-Introduction to Green Building
-Home Energy Survey Professional
The green movement is a worldwide phenomenon that is reshaping behaviors and operations in business, government and daily life. In fact, essentially all industries in our nation's economy are playing their part in the green movement. From real estate to hospitality management, the green industry has exciting opportunities for your clients to create customized green careers. Allied's courses in emerging technologies will prepare them to take action.
Ready to help your clients succeed with a career they can be proud to call their own? Visit our Webinar Video Archive and watch Green is the Answer for Today's Unemployed. Allied supports you and your clients - call (888)925-4283 to learn more today! more>>
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
In today's tough economy, a layoff can lead to more education -- and oftentimes it can be 100% covered. Individuals that are unemployed can turn to vocational rehabilitation to get training in today's high-demand fields and have it covered by their state. This little-known-fact can enable workers to go back to school, get re-trained and return to work all in a matter of months.
This benefit may go largely unnoticed -- many unemployed workers are struggling to re-join the workforce and may not know that they have funds available to them. Vocational rehabilitation can provide up to $10,000 in career training benefits. With over 5 million jobs lost to date, training for a new career may not be a bad idea. Receiving valuable skills can translate into a solid and dependable career -- and long-term opportunity.
With millions of laid-off workers across the nation, many people are being faced with difficult decisions about their future -- Do they switch career fields? Do they return to school? Do they pay expensive tuition costs? Career training is readily available at voc rehab schools nationwide providing an opportunity to get new skills and pay nothing out of pocket. And these programs can be as short as six weeks.
Vocational rehabilitation is not just for people with disabilities, injured workers or disabled veterans due to service-related injuries -- it covers unemployed too. Pursuing a new career can be an easy call for people whose old jobs have disappeared, forcing them to re-evaluate their career plans. A second career can open doors that would usually not be available to them -- and provide opportunities beyond their normal job search.
Most services, including enrolling in a vocational rehabilitation school, will be provided to unemployed workers through the "One-Stop" system -- training, education and employment services available in one convenient location -- where eligible people use their individual training accounts to determine the training program and provider that best fits their needs. Individuals should contact a "One-Stop" career center or vocational rehabilitation school for assistance with the type and amount of their benefits. From their layoff to the classroom, it's the quickest way to prepare for a new career. more>>
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Nowadays we must remember that there are thousands of young men and women in America who are veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These younger veterans often have service-related injuries that hamper their efforts to find and hold good-paying jobs. To help these men and women, the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) offers veterans a vocational rehabilitation program known as Chapter 31. >
What services does the DVA provide for this special group of veterans?
- Rehabilitation evaluation to assess a person's skills
- Counseling and rehabilitation planning
- Job finding skills like resume help and interviewing
- Help finding and keeping a job, including the use of special employer incentives
- On-the-Job Training (OJT) and apprenticeships
- Post-secondary training at a college, vocational, technical or business school
- Case management, counseling and referral services
Who can take advantage of this program?
The veteran must have:
- an honorable discharge
- a service-connected disability rating of at least 10%
- completed an application for the program
If veterans need career retraining, one option that counselors and veterans can look at is online vocational schools with vocational rehabilitation training programs. A veteran can enroll in an online program and train for a career as a real estate agent, medical coder or a pharmacy technician, for example, and all from the comfort of their home with 100% online courses.
This distance education option often solves a lot of problems for veterans like commuting to a campus, securing reliable transportation, as well as finding babysitters or family friends who can help with children. 100% online career training is a great way for veterans to retrain and prepare themselves for a new career.
When looking at online vocational rehabilitation schools, veterans and their counselors should make sure that the school is nationally accredited by an accrediting body such as the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC).
And of course there is nothing like "word-of-mouth" information; veterans should ask fellow disabled veterans for a school recommendation -- there's nothing like an endorsement from someone you trust!
Labels: career retraining, Department of Veteran Affairs, online vocational rehabilitation schools, rehabilitation planning
more>>Monday, March 02, 2009
It's a given that most vocational rehabilitation (voc rehab) programs will offer a component on job search skills. It's one thing to get career retraining, but it's another all together to market those skills and to secure a good position.
We know that the United States is now in a serous recession, which means high unemployment and serious competition for jobs. Today the job market is what you'd call a "seller's market," which means that companies can be very picky about who they hire.
The first thing to realize during the job hunt is that there is no substitute for education and solid job skills -- voc rehab students should know that the fanciest resume in the world can't substitute real training and knowledge. Making sure you get your career training at an accredited voc rehab school should be your first priority before you worry about landing a job. Having made that clear, let's look at what you need for a successful job search.
It's likely that your voc rehab counselor will give you tips on how to write a resume and a cover letter. It's important to understand that the resume and the cover letter have a complementary and necessary relationship -- you can't have one without the other.
The resume is a kind of transcript of all the places that you've worked. Employers want to scan your education, job titles, length of employment and your job tasks over the years. The resume should be short, honest and as direct as possible; this isn't the place to go into extensive detail about how great you are.
The cover letter, in contrast to the resume, is where you sell them on why you're the best fit for their company. What you do is lay out the case -- with proof -- why you are the best match for that particular job. You can't send a standard cover letter to each employer -- you must customize it for each new job you are applying for.
While some employers don't require a cover letter, resist the temptation to send only a resume, for it often doesn't make the case for why you're good for that particular job. Again, a resume and a cover letter operate together.
As long as you keep at and continue to apply for jobs, you'll eventually get yourself a job interview. Now it's important to see that a job interview is not a formality or a sign that you've got the job. Generally it means you passed the first screening process and are one of several candidates who -- on paper -- are a good fit for the job.
It's important to understand who you will be interviewing with at the company. Larger companies, for example, will have a human resources department and you may meet with them first. They want to make sure that your job history checks out and that you fit the broad skills required in the job description. Quite often this interview is conducted over the phone. Once the human resources department has cleared you, you'll generally interview with someone in the department you’re hoping to enter. It's important to appreciate that you’ll be interviewing with people who may some day be your coworkers. This is where you must convince them that you can come into their department and get the work done.
As with all interviews, the key to success is to prepare by going over the company's website and rehearsing answers to common interview questions. Good luck! more>>
Monday, February 23, 2009
When we think of the current economic recession, we often think of those people who have been laid off. On television and on the Internet, these are the only people that we hear about; yet some struggling men and women have been injured on the job or have a disability. For those individuals, the recession is just as real and poses an even larger obstacle toward employment.
Yet disabled or injured people need not give up or settle for low-wage jobs, there is also the option of vocational rehabilitation training or "voc rehab" as it's also known. Many states provide re-training funds for those people who are currently on disability or worker's compensation; even disabled veterans may be eligible. The categories can include:
- Injured workers
- Someone who is disabled
- Disabled veteran due to service-related injury
- Individuals on unemployment (EDD), SSI
People who qualify may be eligible to enroll in a voc rehab training program and pay nothing out of pocket for the courses. This benefit gives a ray of hope to those men and women who are struggling with how to break into the job market.
Some might ask: "If I'm disabled or injured, how am I supposed to leave my house each day and commute to a school for retraining?" It's a good question and the answer is online vocational rehabilitation training.
Many online schools accept voc rehab training vouchers, allowing you to have access to a variety of online retraining programs.
What exactly is online training? How do you study with just a computer?
Online training means that with a computer and an Internet connection, you can log onto your school's website each day, open the current lesson and do the readings and assignments that are part of the day's lesson. The great news, of course, is that you can study wherever and whenever it is convenient for you. In many ways online training is simply the latest version of correspondence courses -- a kind of high-tech distance education.
And just as there are dozens of careers that students can purse, there are just as many training programs offered at online vocational rehabilitation schools. Voc rehab students can enroll in medical, business or real estate courses, for example, helping to prepare themselves for fast-growing careers.
Voc rehab students can train to be a medical coder or a pharmacy technician, taking advantage of the steady growth in the medical field. As more and more baby boomers retire, the demand for more health care services will continue to grow in the foreseeable future.
Then there is the real estate industry which is making gains with more affordable home prices across the nation. A career as a real estate agent, real estate broker or a home inspector will allow individuals to work front and center in this important industry.
Individuals who believe they may qualify for vocational rehabilitation benefits should contact their state for more information or contact a school directly to find out their policies about voc rehab benefits and retraining vouchers. more>>
Friday, October 03, 2008
The counselor and client relationship is a vital part of the rehabilitation process. A study conducted by the Rehabilitation Services Administration shows that a positive relationship can lead to successful rehabilitation, with higher employment rates and earnings.
As a counselor, you set the stage for future success by providing effective services and support. You have the power to guide disabled individuals in the right direction. As a result, they have higher expectations of themselves and rehabilitation as a whole.
Working Toward a Common Goal
It's simple. The success of a vocational rehabilitation program is measured by employment. Partnering with the right education provider can help your clients get ready for the workplace by:
- Providing information on career options.
- Assisting with setting career goals.
- Providing effective career training.
- Checking on the students' progress.
- Providing career assistance.
You provide your clients with the means to return to work fast -- in as little as 60 to 90 days -- with marketable skills that will lead to long-term careers. They get the foundation to re-build their career and you get the peace of mind that they will be able to succeed in today's job market. more>>
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Michael L., a former Allied student was one of over sixty honorees at “The Many Faces of Success” awards ceremony held recently at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange, California. The event was presented by the California Association of Rehabilitation & Reemployment Professionals (CARRP) to spotlight injured workers who have returned to the workforce after successfully completing the vocational rehabilitation process.
Several of Allied’s Admissions Representatives and staff members were in attendance to congratulate Michael as he received his certificates of achievement.
Michael’s story is proof that the vocational rehabilitation system works! As a furniture mover, Michael was accustomed to lifting heavy items; however, over a period of time he experienced severe back problems. His doctors determined that the discs in his lower back were degenerated from the repetitive strain of heavy lifting. For the sake of his health, he needed to find a much less physically demanding line of work.
Fortunately, when it came time to choose a new career path, he didn’t have to look too far for inspiration. Michael developed an early interest in the real estate field by observing his mother, a real estate industry veteran with over 20 years of experience.
With help from his Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Michael chose Allied Business Schools’ Real Estate Salesperson Licensing program. He also studied for the state licensing exam using Allied’s exam prep materials. Furthermore, to stay on track with his studies, Michael used the school’s special monitoring option, On-Track Personal Service.
“It helped keep me motivated toward my goals, and it was nice to have someone (an Allied Academic Advisor) to relate to,” Michael said. As a result of his hard work and determination, Michael passed the state exam and earned his California Real Estate Salesperson license last year.
For the past year, Michael has been employed with a large residential real estate company and is off to a great start in the real estate field with the knowledge he gained from his career training and his mom! more>>
