Blind and Visually Impaired Students Find Success As Salesforce Administrators

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bosma Enterprises, an Indianapolis nonprofit whose mission is to help people who are blind or visually impaired live and work independently, recently completed a pilot training program to reduce high unemployment among this group of individuals by preparing them for careers as Salesforce administrators. BosmaForce, an 18-week class offered entirely online to anyone throughout the country, is intended to prepare students for the Salesforce Administrator Certification Exam and place them into internships in the high-demand field.

The specialized curriculum was developed in close partnership with Salesforce and uses Trailhead – the company's interactive, guided and gamified learning platform - to gain knowledge on the adaptive technologies and workarounds within the Salesforce architecture. The pilot program wrapped up at the end of July, with the inaugural class of four moving on towards their Salesforce Administrator certification exam and some already securing internship positions.

According to career website Indeed.com, there are more than 2,800 listings for Salesforce administrator positions throughout the U.S., with an average salary of more than $85,000. It is estimated that more than 150,000 companies utilize the popular customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

Nationally, people who are blind or visually impaired face a 70 percent unemployment rate. Given the nature of these positions, many of which can be done remotely from one's home, Bosma Enterprises recognized a significant opportunity for people with disabilities to fill these positions.

Brian Clark, one of the BosmaForce graduates, began his internship at Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF) at the beginning of August, where he will be developing reports, maintaining data quality and running backups within the Salesforce platform. HVAF is an Indiana nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of homeless and near-homeless veterans. HVAF was new to the Salesforce CRM platform and didn't have a dedicated employee to manage the system. This made for a perfect opportunity for Brian to put his newly acquired skills to use.

"We are very excited and grateful that we have had this opportunity to connect with Brian and have him join our team at HVAF," said Audrey Hopkins, Volunteer Coordinator, HVAF of Indiana. "Brian is a go-getter. He is amazing to work with and we have no doubt that he will exceed the position's expectations."

Bosma Enterprises envisions BosmaForce becoming an integral part of its mission to create opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired. Because the course is entirely online, it is available to anyone throughout the county and will be offered multiple times each year.

Those interested in enrolling in an upcoming BosmaForce program can visit http://go.bosma.org/salesforcetraining or call (888) 567-3422 to request additional information.

About Bosma Enterprises
Bosma Enterprises is a nonprofit organization, with a history of more than 100 years, that provides training and employment for people who are blind or visually impaired. Our experienced staff (more than half of whom are blind) offers personalized programs ranging from counseling, to job placement, to training for daily living skills—helping adults gain the life skills they need to remain independent, and the job skills they need to stay self-sufficient. To learn more about how you can help our mission, or how our mission can help you, visit bosma.org.

Media Contact: 
Anthony Scott 
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Cell: 317.796.5248 
Office: 317.870.7894

SOURCE Bosma Enterprises