Referrals

Referrals to the Business Enterprise Program

When the client and counselor believe that the selection of a vocational objective as a vending facility operator is appropriate, a request for an interview with a member of the Business Enterprise Program staff is to be encouraged. The request for interview is to be made to the Business Enterprise Program supervisor serving the client's area if the referral is for a vending location, or to the cafeteria specialist if the referral is for a cafeteria location. A memorandum confirming the interview is to be sent to the Business Enterprise Program staff with a copy to the Program Administrator. A report of the interview is to be submitted to the referring counselor by the BEP supervisor within 30 days of the request for an interview. A vending facility training evaluation is required for all candidates to the Business Enterprise Program.

A potential operator is required to possess the following competency in business mathematics, prior to beginning BEP vending facility training:

Knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of whole numbers, averaging, fractions and decimals; ratio and proportion; work with percentage; application of all the above to problems involving profit and loss, balance sheet, time card, withholding and income tax, payroll, cash and trade discounts, invoicing, mark-up; simple interest and applications.

The potential BEP operator may choose to either take courses at a community college, adult education institution or take a competency test and pass it with a grade of "C" in lieu of taking courses to satisfy this requirement.

A potential BEP operator who chooses to satisfy the mathematics competency requirement by taking courses at a community college or adult education institution shall submit a course description to the appropriate BEP staff and receive prior approval before taking the course. The potential operator is deemed to have satisfied the requirement when he/she has passed the courses or competency test with a grade of "C" and has presented a transcript of the grade to the respective counselor.

It is mandatory that all candidates for the Business Enterprise Program, including those intending to train for cafeteria operation, avail themselves of the vending facility training and on-the-job training. To access vending facility training for a client, the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons counselor should make a request in writing to the director of education at the BSBP Training Center. Training consists of classroom activities and, upon successful completion, 160 hours of on-the-job training, of which 80 hours are in a snack bar, semi-dry or dry location and 80 hours in a vending machine facility.

If interested in cafeteria placement, the client will have to participate in additional training at the BSBP Training Center, or successfully complete the defined courses of study for cafeteria training available through a community college. Following completion of college course work, a ten-week on-the-job training is required in a BEP-approved cafeteria.

Upon successful completion of training, the Bureau counselor is to forward an employment packet to the central office and the client is placed on the potential operators list.  It is the responsibility of the Rehabilitation Services Program to refer clients to the Business Enterprise Program and to have the client's name placed on the potential operators list by submitting the employment packet.