Hiring Qualified people with Disabilities Featured on News Channel 5+ Inside Workforce Development

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development and the Tennessee Council of Developmental Disabilities have partnered to promote awareness of the positive impact and skills that employees with disabilities can bring to the workplace this week on Inside Workforce Development.

“We want to focus on the talent and ability this group brings to the table,” Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips said. “Hiring employees with disabilities can benefit employers in so many ways, including changing the overall culture of the workplace. Tennesseans with disabilities have been underrepresented in the workforce, but they have real job skills and positive attributes of offer employers. Tennessee is more focused than ever before on preparing students with disabilities leaving high school with the work experience and soft skills employers look for in potential employees.”

The Council on Developmental Disabilities is an independent office in state government that works to improve policies and practices in the field of developmental disabilities, with a strong focus on improving employment opportunities for Tennesseans with disabilities. The Council does not provide direct services, but takes a ‘big picture’ approach and works in partnership with state agencies, private citizens and other community organizations to transform systems and policies that impact people with disabilities and their families.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Department of Labor on 'Inside Workforce Development' to showcase how employers can connect to one of Tennessee's greatest untapped pools of potential employees, Tennesseans with disabilities," said Wanda Willis, Executive Director of the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities. "We know that most Tennesseans with disabilities want to and can work, they just need opportunities for them to demonstrate their skills and strengths in the workplace.”

Hosted by Melinda Kelsey, Government Relations and Communications Administrator for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Inside Workforce Development is a monthly series highlighting major Tennessee employers in different industry sectors. Some of the industries the show will focus on are healthcare, retail, transportation, information technology, manufacturing and technical services.

Inside Workforce Development is available to more than 650,000 homes in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky and reaches more than 230,000 viewers each week. It will be shown on Comcast Cable channel 250, Charter Cable channel 182 and over-the-air digital channel 5.2, as well as other cable systems throughout the viewing area. The show will air on Thursdays from 9:30-10:00 a.m. and will have an encore airing on Saturdays from 7:30-8:00 a.m.

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