The Future Workforce: Making Work Part of the Plan for Transition Age Youth

1. The Future Workforce: Making Work Part of the Plan for Transition Age Youth Sue Benolken, Interagency Specialist, MDE Jayne Spain, Secondary Transition Specialist, MDE

2. Why is Competitive Employment Important? How is Interagency Collaboration increasing competitive employment outcomes? What is DB101 Small Group Activity Overview of the Session

3. Planning for Student Outcomes Rooted in Individual Disability Education Act (IDEA)

4. Why We Are Focusing on Employment?

5. Why do Multi-Agencies Think About Employment? Why do youth with disabilities need employment? Why is work important? What employers want! Skills Needed in the 21st Century!

6. Why Do Youth Need Employment?

7. MN has a Looming Workforce Shortage • By 2020, workforce growth in Minnesota will slow to nearly zero. The trend is fueled by the retirement of the baby boomer generation. • By 2035, the number of Minnesotans over age 65 will double. • That means fewer workers relative to projected job growth, and a shortage of skills.

8. All Hand’s on DECK

9. Why Is Work Important? Work provides: Economic benefit Societal benefit Personal benefit

10. A highly skilled workforce is at the center of Minnesota's prosperity. • Employers grow and innovate because they’ve got skilled employees. • Individuals find well-paying jobs and provide for their families. • Minnesota leads in economic growth, helping people and businesses prosper. • GWDC, Skills at the Center

11. What Employers Want Employees with the ability to: • get along with others, • work in teams, • attend to tasks, • work independently, and • provide excellent customer service • ODEP’s Essentials Skills to Getting a Job Fact Sheet

12. What are Soft Skills Soft skills refer to the traits, work habits, and attitudes that all workers across all occupations must have in order to obtain, maintain, and progress in employment.

13. Soft Skills • Communication • Networking • Enthusiasm and Attitude • Teamwork • Problem Solving and Critical Thinking • Professionalism

14. Communication • Many forms including verbal, written, and visual. • Important to develop skills for both communicating to others, and learning how to receive info from others. • Employers routinely list communication skills as top-rated “must have” skill. • Focus areas include information transfer and recognition

15. Networking • “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. • Essential strategy for career development and exploration. • Networking is key to unlocking “hidden job market”. • Focus areas include taking initiative and overcoming fear.

16. Teamwork • Each individual plays a role in team success. • Cooperation, responsibility, communication are key ingredients in an effective team. • Employers value team players. • Focus areas include positive teamwork behavior and understanding roles.

17. Problem Solving and Critical Thinking • The ability to use knowledge, facts and data to solve problems. • Process is as important as final answer. • Employers value ability to develop solution. • Focus areas include ethical decision-making and problem solving in a team setting.

18. What is “Skills to Pay the Bills”? • Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success is a curriculum developed by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). • Focused on teaching workforce readiness skills to youth, including youth with disabilities.

19. What is “Skills to Pay the Bills”? • Created for youth development professionals to use when working with youth ages 14 to 21, in both in-school and out-of-school environments. • This tool consists of modular, hands-on, engaging activities that focus on six key skill areas.

20. Message Everyone Can Work! Building a range of skills is essential to employment outcomes!

21. Goal: Double the employment rate of young people with disabilities by 2015!

22. How does Minnesota “do” Interagency Collaboration and Coordination? IDEA MnSIC (Collaboration process) Mission Current Projects

23. Collaboration is Needed! • Aligning primary transition planning tools (IEP, ITP, IPE, ISP & IIIP)

24. Families and Their Multiple Systems Social/ Civic Religious Hospital Staff Guardianship Conservator Other Neighbors Insurance Public Health Employment Work Recreation Trans. Health Care Home Care Other Specialized Services Group Living Friends Pharmacy Doctor 3 Community Integration Doctor 2 Medical Supplies Social Basic Family Unit Doctor 1 Children’s Health Family Subsidy Financial Worker Case Manager Government Programs SSI MCSHN Social Services ISP/ IFCSP Early Childhood OT/PT Speech Waivers MA TEFRA IEP/IIIP IFSP Education Special Education Parent Fee Social Service Agencies Transition Regular Education Admin Trans. Relationship Circles Lynne Frigaard (1991)

25. IDEA 2004 • IDEA 2004 expects that local education agencies, community and state agencies, and families will work together to design educational programs that prepare students with disabilities for life after leaving school. • Minnesota is designing mechanisms for information sharing, communication, and coordination of services and supports across agencies.

26. Federal Statutes IDEA 2004 • IDEA 2004 Sections 611(e) (1) (c) and 612 (a) (12) (A) • Requires states to have interagency agreements or other arrangements in place for establishing responsibilities for services to eligible children and youth with disabilities. • Applies to the state educational agency and other state agencies responsible for educational programs for children with disabilities.

27. MNSIC • Minnesota System of Interagency Coordination • Legislative directive - develop and implement a coordinated, multidisciplinary service system for children ages birth through 21 with disabilities. • MnSIC is used when referring to the system • SIC refers to the State Interagency Committee

28. Minnesota System of Interagency Coordination (MnSIC) • Minnesota Statutes 125A.023 (State Responsibilities) • Minnesota Statutes 125A.027 (Local Responsibilities) • Requires: For each child who has a disability: • An interagency intervention service system that coordinates services and programs required in state and federal law. • A standardized written plan defined as an individual interagency intervention plan (IIIP).

29. Interagency Coordination Minnesota System of Interagency Coordination Purpose:It is the policy of the state to develop and implement a coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency intervention service system for children ages three to 21 with disabilities.

30. Minnesota State Interagency Council • 2013 Mission • Mission (why do we exist) • SIC exists so that multiple agencies/programs work together to improve services and outcomes for families and their children and youth with disabilities and mental health concerns. • Vision (our hopes for the future) • All children get the necessary support for healthy development and lifelong learning • Guiding Principle: • SIC supports strategic coordinated planning efforts across home, school and community. SIC is the primary place for information on statewide efforts to resolve issues of disability, youth and coordination.

31. SIC Activities • Evaluation and Quality Improvement: • Developing self improvement strategies for local areas regarding interagency coordination. • Improve use of MARSS code #6. • Improved transition planning that results in more appropriate 18-21 year old services • Crosswalk key outcomes across agencies that are impacted by improved coordination. • Improve grade 9-21 secondary transition planning-earlier and more comprehensive. • Training on interagency case plan facilitation and other tools to improve coordination.

32. SIC Activities (continue) • Incentives to assure that service coordination and coordination of services occurs statewide • Explore an array of incentives ranging from recognition to fiscal incentives. • Roll out a “key messages” strategy to re-energize and re-commit to coordinated services. • Joint agency projects • DB101 • Pathways to employment transition • Other

33. Minnesota System of Interagency Coordination (MnSIC) • 2007 shift in thinking • Focus now on use of this interagency strategy as a way to improve outcomes for children, youth and their families • Strategic coordinated planning efforts across home, schooland community have a big impact on the success of children and youth with disabilities and their families.

34. What Supports Interagency Strategies? Three Core Supports Leadership Commitment Relationships

35. A Result of Collaboration and Coordination DB101

36. Competitive work IS an option, and professionals are KEY to supporting work. “Educators and social workers are the gatekeepers and unless they are taught and apply employment first principles, individuals are too often steered towards segregated programs.” - Minnesota Employment First Coalition Report “All people with disabilities are encouraged and supported in exploring work as a viable option to build wealth and social well being.” - National Consortium for Health Systems Development “Most consumers are motivated to work, provided they perceive that the professionals helping them also embrace the belief in the importance of work and genuinely believe they can work.” - Rogers, Walsch, Masotta & Danley, 1991

37. Incorporating Benefits Planning is KEY for all professionals, and becoming an expectation.

38. You can help show the critical connections When you help young people weave concepts together, they develop the effective, well-rounded life-planning skills that are crucial to success!

39. A New System & Set of Resources to Help You Get A Smart Start & Take Charge – A Learning Toolkit for Youth & those who support them DB101.org

40. DB101 for Young People • Content - designed for youth and their parents • School and Work Estimator - to show how benefits might be impacted by working

41. Goals of using Get a Smart Start • Put “Benefits” on the radar. • Introduce benefits as bridge to support independence. • Help break down the myths and barriers about work and benefits. • Build self-advocacy skills and give resources to refer to when faced with benefits and work questions.

42. Video • Discussion question: Who in your school or agency would be the best person to introduce benefits planning to students?

43. Thank You!