ACRE Certificate Course: Supported Employment 101

The work of an Employment Support Professional is so much more than “one job.” Many skills are necessary in order to do well and be successful. Job coaches need to be competent in all phases of the employment process, from the assessment or discovery phase all the way through to the fading and follow along phase.

Each requires a variety of expertise and knowledge with a big dose of people skills being of utmost importance as well. The most successful “employment professionals” connect well with people with disabilities, can assess an individual’s interests, desires and skills, seek out the best possible job match, support the individual on the job and establish natural supports in such a way that the person can be successful on the job independently or with limited supports.

These are only the primary roles of an employment professional. A variety of other “duties as assigned” are typically required in order for a person with a disability to become successfully employed. A great job coach has the ability to do it all.

Today, we recognize that professionals outside of the Employment Support Professional role are now taking ACRE-endorsed certificate courses. It is our goal to provide all professionals with the basic knowledge and skills, tools and resources that are needed to understand employment supports and to be able to provide a variety of supports, regardless of role.

Networks for Training and Development, Inc. has offered Supported Employment 101 (SE 101) in many formats, for over 25 years. Given the increasing demands of today, it has been difficult for employment professionals to attend time-intensive training.

To meet changing needs, we are now offering our 40-hour ACRE-endorsed curriculum. Core learning will take place through presentation recordings, podcasts, videos, readings and more on the Networks App. Community-based assignments are required (unless restrictions are in place for public safety).

Some assignments may be billable to specific individuals depending on funding and discovery or job development status. Each student is required to attend two, one-hour office hours with other course attendees and instructors, in order to complete the course.

Audience: This course is for new employment professionals who have been on the job under one year or can serve as a comprehensive refresher for others who have a responsibility of finding and supporting employment for individuals with disabilities. It also meets the staff requirements for Employment services in the Pennsylvania ODP Waivers.

Time: This is a guided, self-paced course with new modules released weekly. At the end of each week, students will meet virtually with course instructors on Fridays to discuss the material.

Please note: all learners are expected to keep pace with the lessons in the Course as they are released each week and complete appropriate lesson assignments.

If you have specific questions regarding the Course, please contact Course Coordinator, Joseph Murphy at joem@networksfortraining.org

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