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Sunday, March 09, 2003

By Len Barcousky, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Students who start the Project for Freedom job-training program soon find they don't have much freedom to cut class. "The average one-semester college class offers 43 hours of instruction," said W. David Huddleston, executive director of Project for Freedom. "We do 43 hours in about a week."

The 10-week career-training program is designed for adults with physical, emotional or mental disabilities.

The 13 students in the winter session are more than halfway through the rigorous curriculum that prepares them for jobs as technicians on computer help desks. They attend classes from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at Slippery Rock University's North Hills site in Franklin Park.

"I look forward to coming in here every day," said Darrell Anderson, taking a midmorning break from his keyboard and monitor. The resident of Pittsburgh's Garfield neighborhood has been learning the fine points of popular computer programs such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

"I didn't know any of this stuff," said Tyrone Sub, 43, of Butler.

He worked for many years as a laborer for the state Bureau of Forestry. "My back has taken a pounding," Sub said. He was warned that if he stayed in his old job, he might lose the ability to walk.

"This is a great opportunity for two reasons," he said. "This could be my last shot at making something of myself. And if I do find myself in a wheelchair, I can still wheel myself up to a computer."

Jobs on the information technology help desk provide entry to corporate employment, Huddleston said. Such positions place workers on a career track and pay a living wage.

The 5-year-old Project for Freedom program is a partnership among several Pittsburgh area businesses, Slippery Rock University's Division of Lifelong Learning and the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Instructional costs are $6,400 per student, but students pay nothing. All receive full tuition through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation. Transportation aid and a clothing allowance are provided on a case-by-case basis.

Project for Freedom's goal is to place both first-time job seekers and veteran employees in skilled technical jobs. National statistics show a need for such programs.

The National Organization on Disability, based in Washington, D.C., estimates that about 54 million Americans -- 19 percent of the population -- have some disability. About 56 percent of those with disabilities who say they are able to work have been able to find full- or part-time jobs, according to a 2000 survey done by the National Organization on Disability and The Harris Poll. In comparison, 81 percent of those without disabilities who took part in the survey have jobs.

High rates of joblessness mean the American economy loses about $200 billion in taxes and earnings annually, according to the American Association of People with Disabilities in Washington, D.C.

Project for Freedom, organized as a nonprofit agency, is overseen by an independent board made up of representatives of several Pittsburgh employers, including Bayer Corp., Bender Consulting, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and Mellon Financial Services.

Program graduates have gotten internships or found employment with those four companies and with UPMC, University of Pittsburgh, Slippery Rock University, Giant Eagle, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products and AmeriNet Central, a group purchasing organization serving health-care facilities.

The program has placed about 72 percent of its graduates, Huddleston said. Project for Freedom President Joyce Bender isn't surprised by the placement statistics.

"From the beginning, it was decided that business would drive this program and its curriculum," she said. The goal would be employment and the course of study would emphasize not only practical computer skills but a work ethic and accountability as well.

"Students finish this program with business savvy and an understanding of what it takes to succeed in the workplace," she said.

Bender is president of Bender Consulting and her firm serves as a major link between Project for Freedom graduates and employers, placing students in temporary jobs that often turn into full-time employment.

Project for Freedom began at Community College of Allegheny County in 1998 and relocated to Slippery Rock's North Hills campus in the fall.

"It's a phenomenal location," Bender said. "As a four-year college, it offers opportunities for those who want further study."

Len Macefe, 34, of Butler, is already looking beyond the completion of his Project for Freedom courses to getting advanced certification as a help-desk technician.

He has worked in electronics and described himself as familiar with computer basics. His challenges now include learning communications skills in addition to technical know-how. "You are sitting in front of a computer screen in one place, and you have to help people long distance," he said.

Other students hope to combine prior work experience with new skills. Martha Macmillan of New Sewickley worked for many years as an admissions clerk at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh.

"I'd like to stay in something in a hospital-type environment," she said.

Tim Senko, 43, of Bellevue, faced the need to change careers when he realized his middle-aged body could not keep up with the rigors of his job as a laborer for Duquesne Light Co. Much of that time he spent shoveling coal. Such physical labor was especially difficult for him because he had lost his right arm in an accident at age 17.

Two years ago, he took a severance payment from Duquesne Light that allowed him to be a stay-at-home dad. Now that his youngest child is in school, he is eager to get back into the work force.

"This is a fluid field with lots of change," he said of computer assistance.

Senko, too, has plans to complete the course and then seek certification in computer repair and upgrading.

By having businesspeople advising Project for Freedom from the beginning, the training program has reduced what Bender described as "attitudinal barriers" to hiring people with disabilities.

"I always tell people that being in a wheelchair doesn't have anything to do with ability to do Web design or to be a programmer," Bender said. "Don't think charity when hiring these graduates. Think business value and contribution to the bottom line."