Employment Specialist Foundations: Basic Knowledge and Skills

Employment Specialist Foundation: Basic Knowledge and Skills is the redesigned certification series for New Jersey employment specialists/job coaches. It is a newly developed four-day series of interactive, competency-based workshops designed for beginning Employment Specialists working for a DVRS Supported Employment Vendor and/or DDD Community Service Provider offering Supported Employment Services. The content would also be beneficial to school job coaches and transition coordinators. Participants will learn best-practice, evidence-based approaches to all phases of supported employment services (assessment and discovery, job development, job coaching, and follow along for job retention).

While staff will benefit most by participating in the four training days sequentially, the series is designed so that each day’s content exists as a distinct, stand-alone learning experience. For each day, participants will receive a certificate of completion. An individual will not be considered to have met the DDD/DVRS vendor requirements for competency in supported employment services until after the successful completion of all four days. It will be the responsibility of the agency to ensure staff meets the four-day participation requirements.

Employment Specialist Day One: Assessment/Discovery Phase

An overview and history of community-based employment and how-to strategies for effective job seeker assessment/discovery phase to maximize future job matching

Employment Specialist Day Two: Job Development Phase

An introduction to job development including marketing strategies, negotiating with employers, analyzing worksites and customizing employment to facilitate good job matching

Employment Specialist Day Three: Job Coaching Phase

An examination of learning styles, direct and systematic instruction on the job site (task analysis, hierarchy of prompts, teaching to natural and artificial cues, error correction, etc.) and data collection

Employment Specialist Day Four: Long Term Follow Along Phase

A familiarization with the purposes, strategies and documentation of long term follow along supports to boost retention as well as an introduction to employment and the ADA, benefits and employment, and “typicalness” research and employment

Registration Details

Fee information: Employees of CBVI, DDD, and DVRS, DDD-Qualified Providers, as well as individuals with disabilities and family members – no charge. All other registrants - $75 per day.

Continuing Education Available: NJ Social Work, CRCC, NJDOE. View Continuing Education Details

Registration: Register online now

Please note: Submission of the online form is not a confirmation of registration. Submission of the online registration form sends an email request to The Boggs Center. When your form is received, Boggs Center
staff will register you for the course requested, based on space availability. If the training is full,
you will be notified. Written confirmation of your registration and materials will be mailed two weeks prior to the training course. If you do not receive a confirmation, please contact us to verify registration and to receive directions and materials.

For more information: Please email PJ Alexander or call 732-235-9307.

Robert Wood Johnson Medical School