CP Goes International: Borderless Recruiting Of Global Excellence
In recent years, and especially 2022, staffing shortages have created a dynamic whereby the Agency has had to ask our dedicated team to provide extra effort and time to properly maintain our high-level of care and support for hundreds of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
While this is not isolated or unique to CP Unlimited—as the entire I/DD field and the broader national workforce are experiencing the same trends—our work is particularly specialized and of vital need to both individuals and society.
In response, CP Unlimited has innovated a new program to recruit qualified and interested individuals from around the world to join the organization, and the results are already paying off for our internal team and the people we support.
Two individuals hailing from Lagos, Nigeria have already received their H-1B Visas and are working with our people in Hudson Valley. They are gaining experience and knowledge about the people we support by working at our Mount Ebo Day Habilitation program in hopes that they will soon join the Residential team at our Watermelon ICF setting. Each comes to us with a four-year degree and experience working in healthcare environments so they join us as peers, ready to learn in our special settings.
Using a multi-platform approach, CP worked closely with colleges and employment agencies and channeled efforts into outreach events to cast the widest net. As a result, what was a stream will turn into a river as twenty-seven additional candidates have accepted offers of employment and are awaiting their H-1B Visa approvals. We are excited to welcome our new team members from locales including the Philippines, Jamaica, and more from Nigeria.
Further, and of equal importance, the Agency also raised our minimum wage to match our downstate rate, creating a more equitable and competitive environment for our existing team. These combined efforts, we hope, will address and alleviate the current structure and allow a more harmonious balance between work and family time.
All of what we do is motivated by our mission to create opportunities for people with I/DD to achieve fulfilling lives, and that is driven by staff who can come to work and feel both stable and engaged.
We look forward to welcoming these new members of our team and celebrating our diverse workforce, united in our mission as one CP Family.
