Local Resources
Listed below are employment service organizations that serve Greenville County. Representatives from all of the organizations below serve on Greenville CAN’s Employment Workgroup. Our shared goal is to make it easier for employers and potential employees with disabilities to access the many resources available to them. If you have questions about the resources listed below, please contact Chris Sparrow with Greenville CAN at chris@barbarastonefoundation.org
ABLE SC
ABLE SC provides a variety of services to promote independent living for individuals with disabilities. Examples of employment services include: assist with job search, resume development, mock interviews, application and interviewing assistance, soft skills development, reasonable accommodations, and more. ABLE SC is an SSA Ticket to Work provider for SSI and SSDI recipients. Able SC can also consult with employers and provide technical assistance on the reasonable accommodation process, recruiting and retention strategies, disability sensitivity training for staff, and much more.
Sandy Jordan
Sjordan@able-sc.org
803-779-5121 ext. 133
803-779-0949 TTY
The Arc of the Midlands
The Arc is the longest serving and largest organization providing employment support to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The Arc believes people with I/DD can be employed in the community alongside people without disabilities and earn competitive wages. The Arc provides supportive employment through skills and interests assessments, social and career training, as well as job placement and job coaching. Our goal is to improve the way individuals with I/DD find and keep employment. They should be supported to make informed choices about their work and careers, and have the resources to be successful in community employment.
The Arc of the Midlands is now providing supportive employment services in the Upstate.
803-693-5746
Big Brain Staffing
Big Brain Staffing offers an array of employment services for individuals on the Autism Spectrum ranging from long-term and short-term, temporary to direct, and direct placements.
Dawn Clayman, President
D.clayman@bigbrainstaffing.com
(c) 864-630-1894
Clemson LIFE Program
The mission of the ClemsonLIFE Program at Clemson University is to provide a coordinated course of study that includes career exploration and preparation along with self-awareness, discovery, and personal improvement through a framework of courses, job internships, and community participation.
Erica Walters
escheff@g.clemson.edu
864-656-0501
Goodwill
Goodwill offers a variety of services through Job Connections, individual Job Training Programs and Service Delivery Programs. Job Connection services include direct employment referrals, job fairs, resume development, guidance on effective job searching, computers, phone, etc. Job Training Programs include Food service, Forklift safety, Manufacturing, Certified Nurse Aide, Construction and Retail Training. There are also Service Delivery Programs to include three dedicated to serve youth, and three dedicated to serve individuals with a disability.
Ashley Alexander, Career Development Case Manager (Upstate / Midlands)
aalexander@goodwillsc.org
864-351-0100
Greenville Technical College
The Quick Jobs with a Future program allows working adults, or those in occupational transition, to quickly obtain skills matching the needs of local business and industry. The Quick Jobs program offers training and certifications that are skills specific and job preparatory with most courses lasting three months or less.
Steve Hand, Director of Quick Jobs with a Future
Steve.hand@gvltec.edu
864-250-8249
Greenville Works
Greenville Works is a collaborative whose mission is to raise, coordinate, and direct funding and advocacy in support of workforce partnerships that develop career pathways, linking low-income workers with sustainable employment in Industry that is critical to the region.
Greenville Works is an SSA Ticket to Work providers for SSI and SSDI recipients.
864-350-0867
SC Commission for the Blind
The South Carolina Commission for the Blind helps blind and visually impaired residents of South Carolina gain independence and take advantage of opportunities for financial advancement. Working with our network of business, community and government partners, we provide training, job placement and business opportunities for thousands of South Carolinians each year. Our offices are conveniently located throughout the state and we take referrals for our free services from physicians, family members, community partners or potential clients.
Greenville District Office
620 North Main St.
Greenville, SC 29601
864.241.1111
SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department
The SC Vocational Rehabilitation Department prepares and assists eligible South Carolinians with disabilities to achieve and maintain competitive employment. Some of the services offered include:
Job matching which connects employers with qualified pre-screened candidates;
Outsource/training partnerships which meet employer needs for quality products or services and help learn fundamental work skills;
Internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training which fill any specific knowledge or skills gap at initial employment;
Post employment and job retention services to keep valuable employees with disabilities;
Tax credits and other financial incentives for training, orientation, and accommodation.
Kerry Reece, Job Coach
kreece@scvrd.state.sc.us
864-297-3066
SC Works – Greenville
SC Works is a system comprised of different partner organizations, including Greenville County Workforce Development, South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and many others, which provides all job seekers with career counseling, job referrals, testing services, resume-writing assistance, employability workshops, and job fairs. For eligible participants, SC Works can offer training through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (2014). SC Works hosts an extensive online database of statewide job openings and labor market information. Further, SC Works has special programs catering to populations such as Veterans and Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers.
SC Works is a SSA Ticket to Work provider for SSI & SSDI recipients.
864-467-8080
wioainfo@greenvillecounty.org
Service to Civilian
Service to Civilian is a veteran owned, veteran focused company where our mission is long term careers for our veterans and long term business success for our clients. We spend time getting to know each client’s hiring requirements, company culture, business drivers and organizational goals. We assess each veteran to document their competencies and inherent traits along with their learned skills, translated from their military and civilian experience. We expect each veteran candidate to prepare a Strategy for Success 30-60-90 plan which includes research on the hiring organization and shows how they will be successful, value-add employees. We bridge the gap between an organization’s success factors and the 1% of the population who can contribute the most to the bottom line.
Robyn Grable, USN Veteran
rgrable@upstatewarriorsolution.org
864-520-2073
Thrive Upstate (formerly Greenville County Disability and Special Needs Board
Thrive Upstate is the largest and oldest service provider in Greenville County for individuals with intellectual and related disabilities, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury, developmental delays, and people on the Autism spectrum. Thrive Upstate offers a variety of services and programs designed to maximize employment for individuals including onsite work activity centers, mobile work crews, and competitive employment. Services provided include: job readiness assessment and training, assistance with job searches, and on-the-job support while engaging in employment.
Martin Watson, Director of Contract Services
mwatson@thriveupstate.org
864-288-1907 ext. 3553
Upstate Warrior Solution
The mission of Upstate Warrior Solution (UWS) is to connect warriors and their families to community solutions, lead warriors to empower themselves, and inspire members of the community to embrace the warrior and their family. The vision of UWS is to restore our warriors with a sense of purpose, and to empower the community to be responsive to our warriors and their families.
We offer ongoing support to all who have served or those who continue to serve, regardless of their discharge status, branch of service, age, sex, or disability status. All warriors have face-to-face contact with staff and volunteers in order to assess their needs; our community resources include those for housing, healthcare, family support, education and employment. Future staff members are often developed within the UWS Fellowship Academy, an internship program for disabled warriors, in an effort to get these warriors back into the workforce by serving their brothers and sisters in arms.
Charlie Hall, Executive Director
chall@upstatewarriorsolution.org
864-520-2073
Community Options
Employment is one of the core services provided by Community Options. We believe that everyone who wants to work should be given the opportunity to do so, no matter the level of their disabilities. To that end, we have developed an array of income producing projects; from entrepreneurial businesses that employ people with and without disabilities, to supported employment with one-to-one job coaching, to individual micro-enterprises. We will do whatever needs to be done to help people with disabilities experience the pride and self-esteem that comes with getting a paycheck or owning a business.
Antrey Frazier, Supported Employment Specialist
Antrey.Frazier@comop.org
864-233-6270
SOS Health Care, Inc.
SOS Health Care, Inc. offers its Job Coach program for adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities in Greenville and Spartanburg Counties. Job coaches guide individuals through all the phases of gaining competitive employment in their communities: from assessment, community-based instruction, and job development, to on-the-job training or coaching. The SOS Job Coach Program offers opportunities for adults to learn about the world of work and obtain success in the community by gaining valuable vocational skills for competitive employment.
Terry Bolda—Upstate Job Coach and Employment Specialist
terry.bolda@sos-healthcare.com
864-315-8928
Engaged Employment
Engaged Employment helps adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities overcome barriers and gain independence by providing comprehensive employment services and partnering with employers. Our vision is for all adults with autism and other intellectual disabilities to have the support and services they need to be successful in jobs, thus creating neurodiversity in as many workplaces as possible.
Terry Bolda, President
terry.bolda@gmail.com
864-315-8928