Vermont Progressive Employment: Model Replication and Evaluation Informing Research, Policy, and Practice Meeting Employer Demand in a Job-Driven Economy: Diversity, Inclusion, and VR’s Evolving Role August 3, 2017 Presenters: Hugh Bradshaw & Dennis Moore Affiliated with Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston

Progressive Employment Informed Choice for both Employers and Candidates Progressive Employment

Team Roles Business Account Managers No caseload Relationships built over time-trust Introduce caseload-carrying staff to businesses Employment Consultants Carrying caseloads Also doing business outreach in concert with BAM and other Employment Consultants Counselors Introducing candidates at Jobsville “Invites” others to the team Supports both the employment staff and the candidate Team Roles

Since launch, new relationships with 7,929 distinct businesses 37,533 hiring managers/owners identified 1,679 willing to offer work experiences 953 will offer a company tour 1,131 willing to host short-term job shadows 400 willing to work with youth under 18 958 have hired, or would consider hiring ex-offenders 730 willing to offer mock/informational interviews Demand-Side Results

Benefits to Business Unique opportunity to assess a candidate before committing to a hire Lower training costs Support from Employment Consultant CRITICAL!!! Access to candidates in a tight labor market Lower turnover due to better matching up front A “safe” zone to figure things out

Benefits to Candidates An opportunity to explore an interest or passion Speed and pace of engagement are based on each candidate’s needs No commitment Multiple experiences are OK Skill development provided by the business Feedback directly from the business True customer choice model

Benefits to Employment Consultants Much easier “pitch” to a business when introducing a candidate/trainee Significantly reduces the risk of “blowing up” the relationship with the business Employer provides feedback that is critical to the success of the candidate/trainee Allows all parties to “take chances” Employers LOVE it

Employer Feedback In a survey of 100 employers who participated in Progressive Employment: 75% reported a better understanding of how to recruit and hire candidates with disabilities 77% reported a better understanding of how to accommodate workers 88% reported being either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the model

States currently replicating PE and target populations Nebraska General – anyone mostly pre-IPE Oregon Blind – stuck cases, now anyone Maine General – transition youth Florida Blind – stuck cases Kansas General – mainly ID or CJ

Most cited reasons for PE referral (ME, NE, OR respondents) Little or no work history Stated interest by client Soft skills/ behavioral Stuck case Most severely disabled Previous job failure

NE VR total employer contacts, High and Low Dose PE employer exposures

Nebraska PE dropouts prior to IPE (plan) Rapid Engagement Statistics Non Rapid Engagement Statistics Adult Youth total Close prior IPE close prior IPE 398 54 279 34 5815 1842 2431 741 Unsuccessful % prior to IPE 13.56% 12.19% 31.68% 30.48

Challenges for some CRP’s Most experienced team member AWOL with employers Funding Contractor status JP young, inexperienced, under-paid Higher staff turnover Limited staffing agency perspective

VR-RRTC on Demand Side Strategies The Vocational Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (VR-RRTC) on Demand-Side Strategies is a national center for improving vocational rehabilitation (VR) responsiveness to employer needs.  Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant # H133B120002. In five year evaluation of VTPE, Rehab rate was approximately 9% higher for those in VTPE than those who were not (67% vs 58%)

For more information Visit: ExploreVR.org for more resources on Progressive Employment Or Contact us: hugh.bradshaw@vermont.gov dennis.moore@wright.edu