Collaboration is the Key Building Regional Employment Networks Jennifer Hudak, John Bryson, Duane Rohr, Scott Marks

Background Ohio-Employment 1st state since 2012. Major pushes for Employment Supports. Employment 1st DD-VR Program. But Still…. Background

Some Barriers Fragmented, silo’d support system. Competitive service system. Lack of business engagement. Some Barriers

NEOREN

Collaborate on job placement Coordinate Business Engagement A group of employment providers, county boards and businesses whose goal is to; Share best practices Collaborate on job placement Coordinate Business Engagement The NEOREN

A Framework

Experience Engagement Expansion E3 Framework

Experience

Experience Who have I worked with before? Who have I shared a positive experience? Who do I share a belief, point of view, interest? Who could I potentially share an experience? Businesses? Community Groups? Recreational groups? Social Media groups? Experience

Engagement

Engagement How can we continue to work together? On what other projects can we collaborate? What other opportunities are there? Where do our strengths complement each other? How do we mutually address barriers? Engagement

Expansion

Expansion How does our collaboration attract other partners? Who are the connections of my connections? Who else do we need to complement our efforts? What are the apparent benefits of collaboration? How can we continually improve our services? Expansion

Training from National Organization on Disability facilitated in Ohio. Small group of employment providers began to meet to discuss possible collaboration. Business partners brought in to collaborate on ‘best practice’ for disability employment. The Humble Beginnings

Business Benefits Access to pool of untapped talent. Assurance of quality candidates. Time saver for business due to single point of contact. Coordination of training needs. Business Benefits

What does the future look like? How do we expand? Where do we go from here?

The regional collaborative will implement a leadership council comprised of representatives from each local group to create consistency in employer engagement approaches across the region, promote accountability for ethical standards, establish best practices and share resources. Collaboratives on the local level should continue forming to address the unique barriers in their area of the state. These groups form relationships with local chambers of commerce, businesses and other community partners, further expanding the influence of the ENTIRE network. Expansion

A website and other resources will be developed to support the region and incentivize participation. Marketing materials will continue to be developed and improved to expand brand recognition, specifically with the business community. The regional collaborative is positioned to provide technical assistance on a variety of employment service topics, including community integration, and will begin offering that support to day service providers not normally involved in the regional group. Expansion

The most important piece of the expansion puzzle? To continue working together, engaging employers, making better job matches and gaining expertize by sharing knowledge and resources…in hopes that this model will replace our current one and we can bring true systems transformation.

EMPLOY-ABILITY SUMMIT

Employer to Employer/Business to Business connection/networking/ education. Collaboration is key. Single points of contacts- Ease and benefit to employers and potential employers. 3 Key Points

Key Planning Partners Koinonia Enterprises Cuyahoga County Board of DD Stark County Board of DD Summit County Board of DD Ohio Means Jobs SAW Enterprises OACB CVS Health Key Planning Partners

Thanks for your time and attention. Feel free to ask any questions Thanks for your time and attention. Feel free to ask any questions. Enjoy the conference! Thank You!