Job Skills Training
In addition to our own hands-on, "live" training in the coffee and ice cream shops, Rise Up Cafe key partners, Easterseals and The Haven, provide a wide variety of exceptional programs for adults and children with disabilities. Both organizations have served the Sarasota area special needs community for many years (Easterseals since 1946 and The Haven since 1954).
Employment Services Program
Easterseals and The Haven's Employment Specialists help develop well-trained and motivated individuals to fill Rise Up Cafe and local employers needs. The focus is on career counseling, job readiness training, placement, follow-along maintenance, job retention and job accommodation assistance. In addition, application assistance and interview preparation is provided.
We are proud to have these two dedicated organizations as our lead Rise Up Cafe partners.
Virtual Reality Program
In partnership with two Sarasota-based live-action 360 video production companies Three Six and Zero and Virtical Reality along with Easterseals Southwest Florida, we have developed a series of Virtual Reality simulation videos that reinforce our job skills training and serve as a refresher tool for our students as they work to gain employment.
The VR videos that have been produced so far cover a variety of subjects including coffee and ice cream shop-specific skills (grinding coffee beans, making espresso drinks, and building ice cream sandwiches), general retail shop skills, interview preparation, and social / customer interaction tips.
Have a peek at one of the modules here and check out this PBS segment featuring our very own Dylan "The Mayor."