Staff training and development

The literature about effective support practices for assisting job seekers with disabilities is extensive. However, employment consultants do not always implement these practices consistently. This suggests that there is a need for articulating these practices into a clearer, more easily communicated support guide. To meet this need, this brief provides a checklist of support activities, organized around five key elements:

This Spotlight on Research shows that on average, employment consultants invest most of their work hours (44%, 3.5 hours/day) in either administrative activities or non-employment related activities, compared to only about 30% (2.4 hours/day) in supports that lead to hiring of job seekers with disabilities.

Improving employment outcomes requires not just training, but intentional investment in coaching and supervisory practices that support implementation of best practice. This presentation for the Reinventing Quality Conference 2021 addresses strategies for improving implementation support from practice, research, and policy perspectives. Findings from a project that supported