1. 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

2. Progressive Employment
Informed Choice for both Employers and Candidates
Progressive Employment

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

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

12. 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

14. 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

15. 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 # H133B
In five year evaluation of VTPE, Rehab rate was approximately 9% higher for those in VTPE than those who were not (67% vs 58%)

16. For more information
Visit: ExploreVR.org for more resources on Progressive Employment
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