By Gina Macris

Rhode Islanders facing challenges in employment, because of developmental disabilities or other struggles, may begin preparing for work in the retail sector sector as soon as next Friday in an eight-week training program offered by AccessPoint RI in collaboration with CVS.

Organizers say the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed enrollment in the training program, which has been offered periodically since 2018 through the Pathways Partnership initiative sponsored by the state Department of Labor and Training.

But as a precaution, the sessions are now offered fully online, or in a hybrid format, according to spokesman Michael Beauregard. Participants learn and practice customer service and retail skills, as well as COVID-19 safety measures, and then gain real work experience, with PPE, (personal protective equipment) in a training site outfitted as a CVS store.

At the completion of the program, participants receive employment assistance to help them find the best match, retail, not exclusively in the CVS chain but at other retailers, like Home Depot, WalMart, Walgreens, and many smaller businesses. Before the pandemic, the employment rate for graduates of the training program was 71 percent, according to Beauregard.

Anyone interested in enrolling in the Feb. 12 class or in getting information about a future training cycle may contact the program coordinator, Jim O’Connor, at 401-200-1230 or email him at joconnor@accesspointri.org.