The European Training Center (ETC) is the best place to learn

We believe that the best place to teach skills, academic or vocational skills, is in ETC. ETC is where candidates can learn the parts of a task without having to complete the whole task. ETC is where the skill to perform complex tasks can be built up over time. ETC is where candidates can fail and be corrected. ETC is where relevant skills can be practiced again and again until they are mastered. But, ETC cannot accomplish all that is necessary to lead a candidate to become a quality employee performing a skilled task. To do this, some amount of training on real jobs is necessary.

Apprenticeships for a successful transition to work

ETC’s view is that the best way to accomplish on-the-job training is to provide our candidates with a number of apprenticeships over time. This way, they can practice what they have learned in ETC in a variety of employment settings, each with different tasks and requirements. Moreover, such apprenticeships permit our candidates to move from more intensive supervision to less supervision, from comparatively little independence to the nearly total independence that is required of competitive employment. Many of these skills are transferable across vocational settings, including paid employment, and this is highly desirable because it means that there are efficiencies in the training we provide both in ETC and on the job.

“General Task Strategies”

ETC’s Vocational Education Services teaches generalized vocational skills which are then applied to specific vocational areas. Candidates are trained and receive feedback daily on several “general task strategies,” including how to start a job, perform a task, check work, ask for more work, and how to clean up the area at the end of the work period

These general task strategies are applied to a wide range of tasks that can lead to many different employment opportunities for our candidates, including animal care, basic vehicle maintenance (e.g., checking fluids, tire pressure, cleaning, welding), clerical service (e.g., labeling, copying, filing, assembling materials, data entry), craft and product assembly, deliveries, food packaging and service, library service (e.g., returning books to shelves, data entry, fixing materials), store clerking, and yard maintenance (e.g., trimming, raking, weeding, bagging).

Getting a job and keeping a job

Candidates are trained in career exploration and how to participate in and make a good impression at job fairs. ETC candidates also learn how to apply and interview for a job; including filling out applications, writing cover letters; how to dress for the interview, how to introduce him/herself; and thank you letters. Heavy emphasis is placed on social skills related to job environments, so candidates are trained in accepting feedback, following directions, having friendly interactions, and problem solving appropriately.

A Portfolio of information 

Each ETC candidate creates an employment-training portfolio, which includes a resume, relevant personal information, copies of important documents, letters of recommendation, vocationally-relevant assessments, job training checkouts, and other evaluations. In addition, our more advanced candidates are given opportunities to mentor their peers and to train them in a variety of occupational skills.