OVR recognizes this year’s gold, silver, and bronze employers

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation staff and representatives from its Gold, Silver, and Bronze Award employers share a photo at the end of OVR’s 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Employer Recognition Ceremony at the Saipan World Resort Royal Taga Ballroom on Oct. 1. (Contributed Photo)

The CNMI Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, as part of its observance of 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month, honored last Oct. 1 several CNMI employers who have helped create career pathways for individuals availing of OVR’s services.

The Employer Recognition Ceremony, held at the Saipan World Resort’s Royal Taga Ballroom, recognized three tiers of employers who employ OVR consumers and helped them achieve gainful employm,ent.

OVR’s Bronze Award recognizeds businesses and agencies that have worked with OVR consumers through OVR’s Work Experience Training Program. The WET program is a three-month-long training where consumers learn basic job and work skills for four hours a day, five days a week.

Recognized as Bronze employers this year were Pepoy’s Cafe & Restaurant; Herman’s Modern Bakery; NO KA OI Termite & Pest Control; Taro Sue Corp.; Department of Lands and Natural Resources Division of Agriculture; Garapan Elementary School; CNMI Public School System Office of the Commissioner of Education; Triple J Five Star Wholesale Foods; Sun Palace Hotel; CNMI Office of the Governor; Center for Living Independently in the CNMI; CNMI Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; Department of Finance Division of Revenue and Taxation; Delta Management Corp.; Historic Preservation Office under the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs; Garapan Public Market; Kinpachi Japanese Restaurant; Dong A Corp.; and Island Cafe & Restaurant.

OVR’s Silver Award recognized businesses and agencies that have worked with OVR consumers through its On-the-Job Training program. The OJT program is a six-month-long training where consumers learn more job-specific skills for eight hours a day, five days a week.

Recognized as Silver employers this year were the Center for Living Independently in the CNMI; Taro Sue Corp.; OVR; Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.; and the CHCC Maternal & Child Health Bureau.

OVR’s Gold Award recognizes businesses and agencies that have successfully transitioned OVR consumers from both the WET and OJT programs into full-time employment or have hired these consumers directly. Recognized as Gold employers this year were Taro Sue Corp. and CHCC.

OVR executive director Arlene M. Reyes thanked OVR’s participating employers for supporting OVR, its staff, and OVR’s consumers. Reyes also expressed her gratitude to employers for recognizing the value of providing job opportunities for people with disabilities.

“We are grateful for the support and belief many of our employers have in our office, in our hardworking staff, and, most importantly, in our consumers. Because of you, our employers, we are able to successfully place our consumers in full-time employment, receive vocational training, work experience training, and on-the-job training. Today, we recognize you for believing that people with disabilities are not looked at for what they can’t do, but for what they can do,” said Reyes.