Increasing Employment of Individuals who have a Disability through VR and Abilities Work

Learning Objectives For State Agency Affirmative Action Programs: How VR and Abilities Work can help you Abilities Work Help Desk Abilities Work Portal VR’s Business Relations Team How to use these resources 2

Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal-state program that helps people who have physical or mental disabilities get or keep a job. VR is a division in DOE Provides services with goal of employment Largest single source of candidates with disabilities 3

Abilities Work Portal Together with the Help Desk, a single-point of contact for employers seeking qualified candidates with disabilities Powered by Employ Florida Statewide recruitment services Information and resources https://abilitieswork.employflorida.com 4

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Abilities Work Help Desk Connect employers to qualified job-seekers with disabilities Information and resources Improve employment outcomes Increase work experiences, including internships Collaborative with VR, DBS, APD, CareerSource http://www.rehabworks.org/abilitieswork.shtml 7

VR Business Relations Customize services to meet employer needs Strategic partnerships to support workforce needs Paradigm shift for counselor staff Careers not jobs Training and certification aligned with careers and employer needs Skills shortage Strengthen the workforce to meet the needs of employers and connect workers with good jobs 8

What are your needs? Outreach Recruiting Hiring Retention Advancement (Succession Planning) Technical assistance Other affirmative action goals 9

General Needs, Specific, or Both Abilities Work Portal Help Desk Business Relations 10

Outreach In Abilities Work Portal, Unique Abilities Partners designation The more jobs posted, more opportunities to be seen With Business Relations and Help Desk, shared with partners, providers, job-seekers and front-line staff Employer recognition events and success stories 11

Recruiting Portal – includes around 50,000 people with disabilities Business Relations – Talent pool around 40,000 Help Desk – portal, business relations plus additional 13,000 Technical Assistance re: application, plain language, requirements and qualifying questions Voluntary self-identification from candidates 12

Hiring More candidates More opportunities for voluntary self-identification Direct hires On-the-job training Talent pipelines Interview accessibility – reasonable accommodations 13

Retaining Reasonable Accommodations Training services Services to employees and employers 14

Advancement Career Pathways Training to employees Technical Assistance by subject matter experts 15

How can I get started? Your Agency VR APD DBS Abilities Work Portal Business Relations Help Desk Abilities Work Portal DBS APD Career Source Community Provider How can I get started? 16

Frequently Asked Questions At any time, call or email the Help Desk – (844) 245-3405, AbilitiesWorkHD@vr.fldoe.org Register in Abilities Work Portal – “Disability-Friendly” What if already registered in Employ Florida? Post job orders in Abilities Work – “Disability hiring” What if the job was already posted in Employ Florida? 17

Frequently Asked Questions What if more than filling open positions is needed? Contact your Business Rep for: trainings technical assistance supports consultation employee retention What if a Business Relationship has not been established? Contact the Help Desk to get connected or email Business Relations at VRBusinessRep@vr.fldoe.org 18

Frequently Asked Questions What kind of information does the Help Desk need to recruit candidates? Employer info, contact person, location info, job description and requirements, how to apply What if the last year affirmative action results need to be improved? Contact the Help Desk and/or Business Relations to discuss and implement strategy changes, results, and goals 19

Recommended Steps Register/Log in to Abilities Work Portal and post job orders Use Recruitment Services to find candidates with disabilities who have required skills Refer jobs that are hard to fill, a critical need, or “underutilized” to Abilities Work Help Desk Discuss job info and details with Help Desk staff/Business Rep Help Desk recruits from partner agencies and refers candidates 20

Business Relations Case Study Initial meeting with agency team Intro to VR, background, disability definition and statistics Recruitment Agency needs and expectations On-the-Job Training, customized employment, supported employment Hiring Questions 21

Business Relations Case Study After meeting with agency team Answer questions and follow-up Advertise position with Abilities Work Help Desk Close job posting Obtain recruiting results (number of applicants) 22

Additional Questions and Discussion 23

Abilities Work Portal – http://abilitieswork.employflorida.com Contact Information Abilities Work Help Desk – (844) 245-3405, AbilitiesWorkHD@vr.fldoe.org Abilities Work Portal – http://abilitieswork.employflorida.com Business Relations Team – VRBusinessRep@vr.fldoe.org, www.rehabworks.org/employers Jeffrey Michels Abilities Work Help Desk Supervisor 4070 Esplanade Way, Room 215A Tallahassee, FL 32399 (850) 245-3498 Office Jeffrey.Michels@vr.fldoe.org Kathy Davis Business Relations Administrator Division of Vocational Rehabilitation 1049 Eber Blvd., Suite 101 Melbourne, FL 32904 (321) 339-5186 Office Kathy.Davis@vr.fldoe.org Diane Vacca Department of Economic Opportunity 107 East Madison Street, Caldwell Building (850) 245-7451 Office Diane.Vacca@deo.myflorida.com Nicole Lamar Business Relations Representative 1311 Executive Center Drive, Suite 100A Tallahassee, FL 32301 (850) 245-3431 Office Nicole.Lamar@vr.fldoe.org 24