The Rural Routes to Employment Project: Customizing Employment, Expanding Communities

The Rural Routes to Employment Project:

Customizing Employment, Expanding Communities

Beth Keeton, Southeastern Regional DirectorThe Center for Social Capital

www.centerforsocialcapital.org

GRIFFIN-HAMMIS, LLC

• Established through a FDDC (Florida Developmental Disabilities Council) grant with the Center for Social Capital

• Initial funding: 1 year (extensions possible)

• October 1, 2011: anticipated start date

The Rural Routes to Employment Project

Center for Social Capital/Griffin-Hammis Associates

• Identify and work with 5 rural communities– Discern barriers & opportunities to consumer-

directed employment – Application process

• Open to agencies/entities throughout state• Application disseminated through state networks• If interested: contact project staff

– [email protected]– [email protected]

Rural Routes: Year 1 Project Goals


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

• Facilitate public meetings & focus groups in each of the 5 target areas to:

– Engage communities– Identify stakeholders– Generate data on barriers & opportunities



• In each location:– Form Community Action Teams (CATs) – Perform comprehensive resource mapping to

inform employment creation in collaboration with entities such as:

• Project 10• The Institute for Small & Rural Districts • Local Economic Development authorities, civic

groups, and other other community partners



• Develop scalable models of rural economic development and employment program refinement– Building upon community partnerships and

collaboration– Utilizing an economic development approach– Identifying community/business “needs” and

providing a solution



• Conduct best practice training on:– Customized Employment – Self-employment/microenterprise including– Family and consumer-directed assessment

(Discovering Personal Genius)– Employment support



• Develop replicable, cost-effective model employment initiatives based upon:– Blended funding– Employment creation– Consumer controlled methods



The CAT approach emphasizes that through collaborative efforts of a variety of interested

stakeholders resources and strategies are better leveraged to support individual job seekers to

achieve their employment goals.

Community Action Teams


• Work to identify areas in practice and policy that impede or enhance CE implementation and outcomes

• Work collaboratively and strategically to resolve those issues locally

• Share identified issues with FDDC and other key state agencies for statewide impact

CAT Roles & Responsibilities


• CATs specifically organized and trained to utilize flexible strategies & tactics to increase individualized employment outcomes for people with disabilities in their local communities– Employment is key focus and primary responsibility

• Made up of a broad representation from the community (i.e. schools, businesses, providers, community organizations)

How CATs Support Employment Outcomes


• Discovering Personal Genius

• Customized Employment

• Resource Ownership

• Self-Employment/Microenterprise

• Benefits Planning & Analysis

Rural Routes: Training Components


• Each site receives comprehensive TA, including:

– Helping coordinate collaborations– Implementing strategies to blend funding– Assisting to develop additional resources– Providing outreach to the local employment community– Helping with benefits analysis and planning– Problem-solving identified barriers in practice & policy

Rural Routes: TA Components


• Based on Interest-Based Negotiation between the Job Seeker and the Employer

• Person-Centered

• One-Person-At-A-Time

• Identifies the Ideal Conditions of Employment using Discovery

• Includes Self Employment

Customized Employment is


• Not a Service or Program – It is an Approach

• Not Group-Based

• Not Labor Market-Driven

• Not looking for that Dream Job

• Not Vocational Evaluation & Testing

• Not Interest Inventories



• Especially effective for Individuals with High or Complex Support Needs

• Applicable to anyone, with any disability (or without) seeking employment

• Circumvents the Comparison of Applicants made in Competitive Hiring

• Relies on natural relationships, supports, training



• Discovering Personal Genius

• A planful approach that reveals life themes

• That presents a path of Discovery

• That begs Investigation

• That creates Options

• That breeds Innovation in job development

• Go where the career makes sense

Customized Employment


Documents

The Rural Routes to Employment Project: Customizing Employment, Expanding Communities