Developing a Tiered Training Approach to Increase the Capacity and Quality of Community Employment Services in States

Despite legislation and policy designed to promote employment for people with disabilities, outcome data suggest that individuals with disabilities, especially those with the most significant disabilities, remain unemployed and underemployed. Utah has developed a tiered training approach model to address the different levels of training needed to provide quality training to direct support professionals. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the training structure for employment specialists and job coaches who implement supported and customized employment.