We offer online curricula for emerging professionals that support people with physical and mental disabilities. Covering a growing range of roles, from direct support to employment services, we connect workers to a standardized set of skills that celebrates their contribution to society.
A blog about helping guide the future
of support for life in community
Two years ago, the Association for Persons in Supporting Employment (APSE) began working with leaders in the field of integrated employment to develop a national certification program available in every state for employment professionals. The result is the Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP) exam, which was rolled out on December 2, 2011 in New Hampshire. Many more states will begin offering CESP credentialing later this year.
The Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston (ICI), content developer for the DirectCourse College of Employment Services (CES) online curriculum, recently released a new online course, Principles of Career Development. Through six lessons, learners will acquire key skills and strategies to help people with disabilities not only overcome barriers to employment. The course also instructs employment professionals on ways clients can develop long-term careers and economic self-sufficiency.
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts-Boston is committed to the value that individuals with disabilities should participate in all elements of their community and that employment is a key element for individual’s independence and success. That vision and passion for employment services for people with disabilities has led the ICI to create, along with Elsevier, the College of Employment Services (CES), an integrated, web-based online curriculum. Courses are authored by ICI staff and are part of Elsevier’s DirectCourse suite of curricula, designed for professionals who work with people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) has proposed a policy recommendation that would establish a national goal that 7% of each job group in a federal contractor’s workforce be individuals with disabilities.
The DirectCourse/College of Employment Services (CES) online curriculum that gives employment services professionals the skills and confidence they need to build more rewarding careers in working with job seekers to find meaningful work was successfully unveiled and well received by prospective clients and leaders of the intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) community during the Alliance for Full Participation (AFP) Summit 2.0. The new CES curriculum captivated AFP attendees as the offering provides one of several solutions aligned with this year’s theme: “Summit 2.0 Real Jobs – It’s Everyone’s Business.” AFP attendees also received hands-on demonstrations of CES lessons that include on-demand, video case studies illustrating real-world employment scenarios and solutions to common challenges.
The CES curriculum, created by the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Boston Massachusetts is a part of the DirectCourse suite of online curricula. DirectCourse is powered by Elsevier Performance Manager: Core Development learning management system and includes the inaugural College of Direct Support curriculum developed by the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living were also showcased at AFP.
Take the opportunity today to view the CES overview video that highlights the purpose and benefits of the online curriculum and/or request a live demo.
Stay posted as more CES marketing events and resources that will be available first quarter 2012.
