Whether you are a client or business partner, we want to hear from you. Tell us about your experience working with employU and let us know how we are doing. Your feedback is very important to us.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
WHAT CLIENTS SAY...
We love our clients! They are the core of our mission. We strive to make sure each and every individual who comes through our doors feels they walk out ready to knock their career goals out of the park.
Here are some things our client say about working with us.
Mandy dreamed of working at Disney. She worked hard and never gave up, and with a little help from her Employment Specialist she was able to accomplish her goal. Listen to Mandy describe what it was like working with employU.
Jesse is an employU client with an interest in electrical work. In 2019, Jesse participated in a work experience program with our business partner, American Electrical. They were so impressed with Jesse that they’ve asked him to come back for another summer. Excited to again work with this great company, Jesse is returning for a second year as a Generator Technician Apprentice.
“I am writing to tell you what a wonderful employee you have in Mary McHugh. She did the evaluation on my son, Benjamin who is working through the process of job placement through vocational rehab and employu. My son is a senior in high school. He has a rare disease, CLOVES syndrome. There are only about 300 cases in the world. She was so amazing in working with Ben through these crazy times and doing the testing remotely. She also made a connection with Ben that I found to be invaluable.
She could see that even though on paper, he seems like he may need a lot of intervention, but in person he has so much to give to an employer or even in college. She inspired Ben and myself with her own success story.
She left me telling me if there was anything that I needed to reach out to her. I recently discovered that Ben needs a recent psychoeducational evaluation for college applications The last one he had was from 7th grade. Voc rehab referred me back to Seminole County schools since my son is a senior. Seminole county schools will not do a full evaluation because they only need to provide a reevaluation and my son is currently in private school. The county has no incentive to do a full evaluation. I wasn’t sure where to turn so I reached out to Mary to see if she knew any resources. She went above and beyond reaching out to a contact she had at UCF for us to try to get Ben a full evaluation at a lower cost. She is so kind and caring. She is also very efficient. She got back to me right away.
Starting on any new adventure with a child with special needs can be overwhelming.
Everything we have done for Ben up to this point has been towards this end. As a parent, you want your child to be a fully functioning member of society with a career and able to support themselves. So the weight of all of the years of making sure he gets the right therapies and right supports in place are what I always do. Now he’s 18, I know he needs to shift but he’s not quite ready. As a mom, she was so kind and telling me even though she knows the load is heavy for the parent of a special needs child that I am the person to give him the best start in life. It really meant the world to me for her to tell me that at just the right time when I was feeling overwhelmed. She is an amazing person and employee. I hope Ben can be like Mary. I could see his personality being in a position like hers one day.
Thank you for Mary and for your great organization! I appreciate all they are doing to help Ben in the next chapter of his life. I can tell she truly cares for her clients.”
-Anna Z., Mother of Benjamin Z., employU Client
“I wanted to write to you about the wonderful experience I have had with EmployU. Last October I was diagnosed with an illness that lead to my need to temporarily leave the work force and subsequently find employment in a new field. I was referred to your organization through Vocational Rehab and have been fortunate enough to have Sheila Novak handle my case.
As you know these past couple of months have been challenging for our nation across the board due to the pandemic, and the shutdown of businesses and the growing number of unemployed, I was certain that my opportunities for employment where nonexistent at this time. Ms. Novak continued to actively pursue employment opportunities for me over the past month and routinely checked in with me not only to discuss employment related issues, but also my overall health and well being during this pandemic.
I am happy to share with you that Ms. Novak found a job for me which I began this past Saturday, and I can honestly say that the job seems well suited to my needs as well as my personality.
I can not speak highly enough about the dedication Ms. Novak demonstrated, and I wanted you to be aware of this.”
Thank you very much for working with my son Jonathan during his OJT. He has really enjoyed being there and having the work. It is wonderful to hear that his coworkers affirm his work and presence. When Jonathan made some choices that boxed him in with his school work, you spoke to him about it. I am glad you were able to discuss this with him and help him understand that this is part of his impending reality. Hearing this from someone other than his mother is very important at this stage. It is good for him to understand what it means to be successful. Your work with my son was extremely helpful and speaks highly of the employU organization and their desire to truly help this unique population move successfully into the employment sector.
Just a note to let you know of your great employee, Jennifer Vickery. She is such a joy to work with. She always follows through with things and is great at helping parents like myself with returning phone calls, etc. It is employees like her that make your company shine! I always know when I don’t understand something she is there to help! My grandson, Noah, has been with your company just shy of two years. He loves going to work and has grown so much. Thanks for everything and my best to Jennifer.
-Margaret L., grandparent of Noah
I would like to take this opportunity to commend the performance of Jernice Hollimon, who has served as my daughter Gabrielle’s employU Job Coach for close to a year now. She has been and continues to be a strong advocate for Gabrielle, in sustaining her current employment at Publix, as a Front Store Clerk/Bagger. She is willing to address problems as they arise and has successfully advocated for Gabrielle to be trained for a better position at Publix. Consequently, management at Publix has agreed to train Gabrielle for a stocker position, or a related position over the next six months.
Likewise, Ms. Hollimon has also been successful in advocating for Gabrielle to secure a volunteer opportunity at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). This is a great opportunity for Gabrielle to acquire much needed training, in that Gabrielle desires to eventually work as a Veterinary Assistant.
We are very pleased with the quality of service Ms. Hollimon and employU has consistently provided. Hopefully, Gabrielle’s journey will serve to inspire others.
– Angela J., Gabrielle’s Mother
employU is really well rounded and sees the complete picture of employment. Thank you for appointing Anthony to serve as my son Brandon’s Employment Specialist. When we started the process with employU it was amazing from the beginning to the end. Anthony was kind and patient with Brandon and assisted him with his paperwork, job coaching and even asked about Brandon’s passions to get a “right fit” for employment. Anthony assured me that he would find him the right job because the sky was the limit for Brandon.
Fast forward to Brandon landing the first job he interviewed for, which was amazing! I am grateful for Anthony’s participation in my son’s life and appreciate every moment that he has been with our family to assist Brandon in his employment journey.
Thank you to employU and the excellent service your APD Job Coach, Jernice Hollimon, has provided to my son Henry, and indeed to my whole family, in his quest for employment. It is truly appreciated.
I noticed straightaway the level of dedication and enthusiasm Jernice brings to the table in helping her clients. She has a caring approach and is a true professional. She has supported Henry in every way to reach his goal in finding the right job. Safe to say, nothing got in her way of ensuring success for Henry. He is now employed in work that is suited to his unique abilities and enjoys the experience very much.
I would have no hesitation in recommending employU to any other parent who face innumerable challenges when trying to find companies willing to employ people with intellectual disabilities. There has to be more people like Jernice who go out in the community and educate people into giving our sons and daughters the opportunity to prove themselves as successful employees. Anything that supports, shares, educates and inspires others in the community, is a winner in my eyes.
I look forward to Henry continuing to have a rewarding experience with employU.
– Maureen W., Henry’s Mother
“My husband and I want to give you the most profound thanks for all your help and willingness for this new challenge in Osvaldo’s life. Thank you because it was not only beneficial to Osvaldo but in my own life too. We are very grateful for everything we have learned. You were a great inspiration for my husband and I. You are awesome, thank you, thank you!!
We give you a 100+”
– Marjorie, Spouse of Osvaldo, Virtual Class Student
BUSINESS PARTNER EXPERIENCES
When business partners hire our clients, they are not simply hiring an individual, they are hiring an experienced team of professionals. employU provides ongoing support for a minimum of 3-5 months, depending on the client’s needs, to ensure a high rate of job retention (85%). This is why building sustainable partnerships with local businesses is key to our mission.
Read on to find out what it is like to partner with employU.
In this video, we highlight our partner American Electrical, a full-service electrical contracting company serving Jacksonville and the greater Northeast Florida area. Eager to invest in training the next generation of experienced technicians, American Electrical has welcomed employU clients with open arms to their company.
In this video, we highlight our partner Stinger Fiberglass, a local business with a unique product – producing American muscle car parts from 1953 to the 1980’s. They have had a great experience mentoring one employU’s Transition Youth Program students and welcomed us in to capture it on film.
“We appreciate the partnership with employU and the great opportunity that you all provide for not only members of our community, such as Kymani, but also for our employees and organization. The working relationships that are created via the Transition Youth Services Program makes an equal impact to the employU client, Our employees, and the communities we live and work in.”
“Shane began his OJT at Badcock & More in September 2019 where he assisted with keeping the sales floor clean and organized, as well as putting furniture displays together on the sales floor, including assembling various types of furniture and lamps. In addition to his sales floor responsibilities, Shane also kept the warehouse clean and neat.
Brandon, Shane’s manager, sent in testimonial that said:
“On behalf of the entire team at Badcock & more Port Orange we would like to express our thanks for teaming up with us. You allowed us the opportunity to meet and work alongside Shane, which couldn’t have been a better fit for our organization. Shane is a remarkable young man. Intelligent, hard-working, and an absolute joy to be around. Our team has enjoyed this experience just as much as Shane has.
We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with employU. It has been a very special experience that we are proud to be a part of.”
John Yetto is the Director of Custodial Services with WFF Facility Services at Florida Poly University. Here is what he told us about his experience with employU.
“I have had the great pleasure of working with employU Employment Specialists Laura and Pam. When I came aboard, one of your clients, Michael, was already here. With Laura and Pam’s help, Michael has excelled. He even won the Employee of the Month Award recently and was so proud of his accomplishment, rightly so. I also have another employU client, Alyssa, and I couldn’t be more pleased. When she received her first paycheck, she was so excited. We commemorated the moment with a picture as part of our Business Value Review with Florida Poly
Alyssa also received the Employee of the Month award recently. I am truly blessed having these folks working here. They are caring, hardworking adults. I look forward every morning to hearing Alyssa down the hallways near my office singing ACDC or Queen. She truly loves her job. Michael comes in every day and immediately comes to my office and asks me about my day. I am so fortunate to have wonderful staff. Even with a company as large as ours, EVERYONE is family from the owner to the custodians.
The relationship we have with your organization has been wonderful and with folks like Pam and Laura it really has strengthened the bond. Thank you so much for everything and I hope the relationship only gets stronger and expands.”
Our partners in the Brevard Manufacturing 2019 internship program had many wonderful things to say about their experience with employU. Check out their testimonials in the video highlight of the program.
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION & OTHER FEDERAL PARTNER FEEDBACK
We strive to build strong, lasting partnerships with our local Vocational Rehabilitation partners and other referral sources. Knowing that there are other agencies that they could refer to, we take great pride when they take the time to send us such positive feedback.
I just want to say thank you for all that your team does for us here at VR. We have many different Employment Agencies to choose from, but at the very top of that list is employU. All of your staff is amazing. I just can’t praise them enough. A good employee, one that works hard, goes above and beyond and truly cares about doing the right thing for others, is very rare and hard to find. I can honestly say that about all I work with from employU. They truly deserve praise. If you could only see from my point of view how far you all stand above everyone else, you would be amazed!
I want to tell you how helpful Glenna [employU Transition Coordinator] has been to me working with the transition/Pre-Ets students. As a VR Counselor who has worked here for many years, this was a very new program and in the beginning somewhat challenging and very different from what we were used to doing. However, I knew I could call on Glenna and she was more than willing to help me out. I found her extremely energetic and excited to help her clients. She is so enthusiastic it is contagious and I just wanted to make sure I told you about it before I retire. She is the type of person we always hope to hire that carries our love for the job and enthusiasm over to the customer so they become excited to go to work! She fills them with hope and they know that someone cares for them which makes them feel better about working. Thank you to Glenna and employU from me and from my clients!!
“I just want to give a HUGE shout out to Sarah. I work with roughly 15 other agencies, and Sarah is by far my ROCKSTAR. I’m so thankful for her and everything she does for our clients. She is the ONLY specialist of mine still placing clients during the pandemic. She deserves it ALL! I know we rarely ever send messages of the positives, so I definitely had to let you guys know how much Sarah means to me and my clients. Thank you EMPLOYU! <3"
– Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
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