Project Hire on Davis Avenue Offers Comprehensive Diagnostic Vocational Evaluation-October 22, 1980

Measuring Abilities Rather Than Testing

For individuals struggling to find their true professional calling—such as a brilliant man who bounced through jobs before discovering his path in theology, or a struggling drafting student who successfully transitioned into dietetics—Norwood’s Project Hire has provided life-changing career clarity.

Located on Davis Avenue and supervised by director Edward L. Pflueger, the diagnostic vocational evaluation center has grown into one of the most comprehensive facilities of its kind in the region. Since opening its doors a little more than two years prior, the center’s caseload surged dramatically, jumping from roughly 152 participants in its first year to over 500 participants, straining capacity and prompting director Pflueger to seek additional funding to hire more evaluators.

Pflueger emphasized that the four-day evaluation program avoids competitive academic testing in favor of measuring practical abilities. Working alongside senior evaluator Dennis Carchedi (formerly of Norwood) and vocational evaluator Lisa Iafolla (a Norwood resident), Pflueger utilizes three major work sample systems to measure working skills, academic levels, specific vocational interests, and work-related attitudes.

Broad Regional Utilization and Success Stories

Project Hire serves a diverse clientele, ranging from individuals walking in off the street to referrals from local schools, industries, insurance companies, the Veterans Administration, the state Department of Mental Health, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and the state Commission for the Blind. High schools utilizing the center’s diagnostic services include Dedham, Canton, Weston, Newton, Tri-County Vocational in Franklin, Walpole, and Blue Hills Regional in Canton.

The center’s tailored recommendations have successfully steered participants into fulfilling new directions:

• A high school drafting student failing due to unaddressed two-dimensional perceptual issues was successfully redirected into a dietetics course.
• A young woman determined to enter electronics—despite test results favoring clerical work—received guidance toward a short-term training course that successfully landed her an electronics job.
• Several professionals holding master’s degrees in education successfully transitioned into medical laboratory work, personnel administration, or specialized teaching fields.

According to Pflueger, follow-up data indicated an impressive success rate, with eight out of every ten participants ultimately following the career recommendations provided by the center. “Diagnostic vocational evaluation is a meaningful, profitable and lasting experience,” Pflueger said.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger