Shifting Statewide Workforce Perceptions

Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) aims to develop the potential of its Home and Community Based Services workforce and the individuals living with disabilities that they support. The partnership between Minnesota DHS and DirectCourse was formed to advance the statewide commitment that Minnesotans with disabilities have choices about their community settings and where they live.

DirectCourse is an online training curricula designed to educate and empower the direct service workforce to help others lead meaningful lives within their communities.

Training and development can have a significant positive impact on the perceptions and outlook of disability support professionals and ensure they are well equipped for their roles.

DirectCourse curriculum licensed:

  • College of Direct Support
  • College of Employment Services
  • College of Personal Assistance and Caregiving
  • College of Recovery and Community Inclusion
  • Person-Centered Counseling

DirectCourse Impact

To enhance quality and consistency of support, Minnesota DHS selected DirectCourse online training to revitalize and uplift the competencies of their disability support workforce across the state.

Through a customizable platform, providers in Minnesota can assign DHS custom-created training, DirectCourse training, and other agency created trainings to align their workforce with statewide and organization-specific strategic initiatives.

Statewide Adoption

In partnership with DirectCourse over nearly a decade, Minnesota DHS has trained more than 80,000 direct support professionals (DSPs). They have added custom content to the DirectCourse platform and truly blended the training to provide a state specific, tailored learning experience that meets regulations and elevates the skills of the direct support workforce. By empowering them with confidence and skills to perform at their best, these professionals in turn help individuals with disabilities achieve their best personal outcomes.

Brenna Slabaugh, Training and Events Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Human Services said,

“In Minnesota we use DirectCourse to support our providers with their training needs. The learning management system provides access to content that furthers our Person-Centered mission, aligns with provider licensure requirements, and allows us to host Minnesota specific training content.”