Committee Report | May 2011

Report of

REGENTS ACCES COMMITTEE

To

The Board of Regents

May 17, 2011

Your ACCES Committee held its scheduled meeting on May 17, 2011.  All members were present, with the exception of Chancellor Emeritus Bennett, Regent Chapey and Regent Tilles, who were excused.  Additional members of the Board attending were Vice Chancellor Cofield, Regent Cashin, Regent Cottrell, and Regent Jackson.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

The Committee was informed about the Business Initiatives within the Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation.  The marketing strategy developed through Designing Our Future provided the construct for ACCES-VR’s current business initiatives.  A report was given on the initiatives undertaken by ACCES-VR on outreach to businesses, tracking job ready consumers and marketing of business incentives.  In order to meet the employment needs of the more than 53,000 individuals who are engaged in the VR program, we continue to develop strategies that connect consumer training with the employment needs of businesses.  The resulting initiatives will serve to provide VR professionals and consumers with information about essential job skills, hiring practices, and company-based opportunities for career development.  Such information will serve to empower individuals with disabilities in their choice of employment or career path.

The goal of Vocational Rehabilitation is for individuals with disabilities to achieve an employment outcome that allows them to be self-sufficient and support themselves through earned income.  For ACCES-VR to support that goal, it means we must be responsive to the ever changing labor market forces.  It is also essential that ACCES-VR continues to foster its partnerships with business, qualified employers and its potential employees.  Partnerships are the key for Vocational Rehabilitation to ensure equal access to the world of work because the labor market changes constantly and those changes impact individuals with disabilities obtaining employment.

This concludes our report.