Bringing students into the workplace on Disability Mentoring Day

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Students with disabilities from all around Lubbock and surrounding areas joined together Thursday to learn about the employment opportunities waiting for them when they graduate.

The yearly event is put on by Amerigroup and Texas Workforce Solutions in partnership with local businesses.

Camelia Alonzo with Amerigroup says, “It is a job shadow day for students in high school who are in the disability program.”

More than 150 students from nine school districts came together Thursday morning to shadow local businesses they are interested in.

“Their teachers come up and fill out an application and they let us know about their job interests, so we really try to place them where they are actually interested in working,” Alonzo said.

Students got to visit local grocery stores, bakeries, and even our KCBD news station. Students had the opportunity to tour their chosen business and ask questions about the hiring process, all to prepare them for job searches after graduation.

“We do some mock interviews, we get them ready, we want them to be comfortable in interviewing and applying for jobs,” Alonzo said.

Alonzo said after shadowing and participating in mock trials the students are excited to enter the workforce.

“It is a big deal, they are ready to go out into the work field,” Alonzo said.

Kelly Solomon is one of those students. She says her love for animals brought her to the Three Dog Bakery where she spent the day learning new skills.

“I learned to bake homemade cookies for them,” Solomon said. “At the store they taught me how to ring things up and change the price.”

Solomon says not only did she learn new skills at the bakery, but she also feels like the program helped prepare her for her future job.

“It has helped all of us to understand more responsibility and learn how to work in the real life,” Solomon said.

Copyright 2023 KCBD. All rights reserved.