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NIB, Hudson BVI partner to train, employ people with vision loss
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NIB announced that two of its nonprofit agencies, Envision and LC Industries, have formed a joint initiative with the William L. Hudson BVI Workforce Innovation Center to provide people who are blind with job training and employment opportunities.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with National Industries for the Blind to create opportunities in professional, skilled positions for individuals who are blind or visually impaired,” Mike May, executive director of the William L. Hudson BVI Workforce Innovation Center, said in a press release. “Our unified goal is to significantly reduce a 70% unemployment rate among that segment of the population that has remained too high for far too long.”
The alliance will expand NIB’s already established training programs — including the Business Leaders Program, Professional Mastery of Office Technology for Employment, Information Assurance and Contract Management Support — with a focus on training for veterans who are blind and transitioning to civilian life and an entrepreneurship program to provide skills to run private businesses, according to the release.
The companies hope to create 500 new jobs for people who are blind or visually impaired by 2022.
“As technology evolves and the demand for new workplace skills grows, organizations serving people who are blind must adapt and evolve as well,” Kevin Lynch, president and CEO of NIB, said in the release. “NIB, Envision and LC Industries have been leaders in this change and are now uniquely positioned to transform the employment landscape for people who are blind through the delivery of advanced training and professional development that will build the workforce of the future.”