What is Supported Employment?
Supported Employment is rooted in the belief that everyone can work, if they have the proper supports in place.
Supported employment is a flexible person-centered approach to helping people experiencing disability achieve their employment goals.
People experiencing disability can find employment in their community through the assistance of an employment professional.
What is an Employment Professional?
An employment professional supports people towards employment and can wear many different hats, including employment specialist, job coach, and job developer. Service Providers provide supported employment programs to help people transition into the workforce in their community.
Employment Professionals provide flexible supports to assist both the employee and employer as they work toward success in the workplace by:
- Working with employers to help them find the job seeker with the skills necessary to meet their labour market needs
- Using job coaching to help the employee learn new tasks related to their chosen job
- Maintaining open communication with both the supported employee and the employer
- Fading supports over time so the employee can be more independent in the workplace and rely on natural support while maintaining open communication and support on an as-needed basis
Supported employment helps people experiencing disability connect to community through employment:
- Being involved in a community through employment opens doors to meeting new people, and the workplace becomes another social network
- Contributing to community through employment helps people find a sense of purpose, and what we do for work is a big part of our identity
Supported Employment ensures that job seekers are ready for work by using a person-centered approach and meeting each person where they are at and helping them get ready for employment:
- Making an employment action plan that includes skills, strengths, barriers, and goals
- Understanding job interests and what jobs are in demand in the labor market
- Developing fundamental and transitional workplace skills
- Creating and using resumes, cover letters, digital literacy and application forms
What Impact Does Supported Employment Have in Your Community?
The Benefits of Hiring People Experiencing Disability are Endless!
- Employed people spend more time in the community, strengthening the economy
- Employed people form lasting relationships with employers and coworkers
- Employing people experiencing disability increases employee morale and enhances the Business’s public image
- Employing people experiencing disability eases workplace turnover and training costs through the assistance of an Employment Professional