Iowa’s Career Connections Program: B uilding Satisfying Careers through Person Centered Planning & Intensive Commu

1. Iowa’s Career Connections Program:Building Satisfying Careers through Person Centered Planning &Intensive Community-Based Training A Partnership between: • Grant Wood Area Education Agency • Goodwill Industries of SE Iowa • The University of Iowa Center for Disabilities & Development • Advancement Services of Jones County • Rural Employment Alternatives • Local School Districts served by GWAEA

2. Post High School Employment Outcomes for SCI Program Grads

3. Factors Contributing to Disappointing Employment Outcomes • Insufficient work experience • Poor job matches • Lack of assistance in finding, learning and keeping a job

4. 21 High Schools in 19 Rural, Urban and Suburban Iowa School Districts Transition services designed to produce long-term employment outcomes through: Person-centered planning, Extensive community based training and Individualized supports to find, learn & keep a job Initially funded by grants from the US Dept. of Education, Office of Sp. Educ. Programs What Can We Do About It? Iowa’s Career Connections Program

5. Program administered by Grant Wood AEA Community agencies provide transition services through a subcontract with Grant Wood AEA Goodwill Industries of SE Iowa UI Center for Disabilities & Development Advancement Services of Jones County Rural Employment Alternatives Program serves students in the “Middle Range” of the disability continuum Transition services begin in students’ senior year and continue into a 5thyear Districts billed for services provided to 5th Yr students How is Career Connections Organized?

6. CC serves students in the “Middle Range” of the disability severity continuum Participants must: Have an IEP Need short-term (<12 mo) additional job training Learn multi-step tasks thru modeling/verbal cues Want to work in a community job Participants should NOT: Require long-term training/support to learn/keep employment Require academic training alone to learn/keep employment Exhibit noncompliance or aggressive verbal/physical behavior Career Connections Referral Considerations

7. Last Q of Senior Yr Career Interest Inventories/Assessments Person Centered Career Planning (PCCP) 5th Year Job shadows/tryouts w/updated PCCP Short-term work experiences w/updated PCCP Ideal Job Match ID’d 20-40 hr/wk paid internship, with coaching & employer support Additional courses/job training tailored to ideal job Off-site support/training /counseling Time limited follow-along support Graduation; Maintenance of job into adulthood CC Elements & Process

8. Resume Writing Job Search/Apps Interview Skills Travel Training Nutrition Budgeting Help Meds Mgmt Assistive Tech Link to Comm. Resources Daily Living Skills Additional CC Services

9. Who Gets What Services?

10. Ryan had wanted to be an Air Force pilot since he was 5 years old. When the Air Force did not accept him he became depressed about his future. He thought he wasn’t good enough for any job and wouldn’t enjoy what he’d wind up doing. Meet Ryan:A student with an “unattainable” career goal

11. Helping Ryan Explore His Interests • Ryan and CC staff explored Ryan’s hobbies, interests, learning styles, & work preferences. • Through discussions and interest inventories, Ryan realized why he liked the Air Force: • wearing a uniform • having rules and structure • serving the community • Job shadows offering those elements were arranged: • refueling airplanes, • following a security alarm technician • fire fighters, construction workers & others • Ryan also visited the local community college to learn of other opportunities.

12. Helping Ryan Achieve His Vision…But in a Different Way • Shadowing helped prioritize job preferences. • Ryan learned to complete job apps, set up interviews, and interview. • Ryan interviewed & was hired by a security firm • He worked at a manufacturing plant, wore a uniform, had a structured routine and was responsible for company safety • He earned $9.00/hour & worked 28-32 hrs/week. • He took an art class at the Kirkwood CC • He began saving money for pilot training. • Ryan became a valuable employee & increased his self-confidence.

13. What Made CC Work for Ryan? • Career Connections helped Ryan see that he had capabilities & interests that would prove valuable in a number of different jobs. • Career Connections challenged Ryan when he had self-defeating thoughts and actions, and he eventually learned to believe good things about himself.

14. Meet Wesley • Began with a career interest working around cars, based on his dad’s job as a car salesman • Had several HS work experiences, but still unable to identify elements of a good job match

15. Helping Wesley Develop His Vision • Wesley shadowed variety of job sites to learn about different work environments • 3 month internship with professional car detailer, completed his training program • 2 month landscaping internship • Forklift training • Part time dishwasher job  

16. Wesley’s Vision Wesley wanted: • To work around machinery • Physical work • a “tough guy” job where he could get dirty • mostly repetitive tasks with opportunities to learn new things • to be independent in his job, but a co-worker close by is helpful

17. WESLEY”S DREAM JOB- A Dairy Farm • milks cows w/machine • feeds calves • moves feed & stacks hay • operates skid loader • checks cows for mammary diseases • reports signs of disease, discards milk, tailors milking system to cow’s status • artificial insemination  • co-worker works next to him

18. Wesley Today • Wesley works 50 hours a week • Starts work at 3:45 am • Perfect attendance • Takes great pride in his job • Uses SCL services, funded by MR Waiver • Plans to Exit Social Security Benefits

19. When are students referred to Career Connections? Generally, no later than February of their Senior Year How much time do students spend in CC? As little as 1-3 hours per week during last trimester senior year 5th year varies, with goal being 20-40 hr/wk internship Do 4th Yr students participate in graduation? Yes, but they remain on an IEP as a district student & do not receive a diploma Do students balk at not receiving diploma after 4th Yr? Generally not, especially once program is established On whose roster do 5th Year students appear? On the roster of their 4th Year IEP manager Frequently Asked Questions

20. FAQs, Continued • Who develops & monitors the 5th Yr IEP? • CC staff help teacher and IEP team develop 5th Yr IEP, CC staff give teacher progress updates • Teacher shares with parents as per IEP schedule • Do students attend the school during their 5th Year? • Generally not, unless taking a vocationally-related high school course or they are to touch base with teacher • What if students wish to drop out of CC during Yr 5? • The IEP team convenes to determine if alternative services are needed • What does the program cost? • Varies on basis of student weighting in our system • $6,000/$9,900/$19,800/yr for Levels 1, 2 & 3, respectively

21. Summary of Outcomes • 87% who enter CC stay through their 5th yr • 83% who stay for 5th Year exit with a job • Only 32% who don’t complete 5th year exit with a job • 59% of those who exit employed hold full-time jobs • 50% of the employed exited students receive benefits

22. Concrete Finishing Drywall Carpentry Welding/Heavy Equipment Metal Prep/Painting Masonry Graphics Pharmacy Technician Security Officer Automotive Retail Animal Care Telemarketing Childcare Food Service Health Care Janitorial Computer Repair CC Outcomes: Jobs Obtained

23. Pre/Post CC Employment Outcomes:Hours/Week Worked 31.5 30.5 29.2 5.8 5.8 5.6 427% Increase

24. Pre/Post CC Employment Outcomes:Hourly Wage $8.34 $8.02 $7.68 $2.52 $2.15 $1.81 272% Increase

25. Pre/Post CC Employment Outcomes:Monthly Wages $1175 $1093 $1025 $148 $147 $150 628% Increase

26. How To Start Career Connections • Convene a work group of school & community stakeholders • Review Career Connections materials provided • Visit to Career Connections program/Invite presentation • Determine who will administer program & provide services • School district? AEA? • Community College? Adult service agency? • Identify potential candidate pool & sp. ed. weighting level • Project first year costs • Determine how you will fund the program • Weighted special education dollars? • At-risk funding? VR funding? Other ?

27. Billing Districts for CC Services • Unit Cost Multiplier based on student weighting & service time (chart right) • Determine single unit cost: • Multiply # 5th Yr students @ L1, L2, L3 by unit multiplier & sum # units • Divide program cost by number of units to derive Single Unit Cost (SU Cost) • Multiply SU Cost by 1.0 for L1 billing rate, 1.65 for L2 and 3.3 for L3 (lowerchart right) • Interagency Agreement specifies: • School/CC Program responsibilities • Billing process & rate for half-Yr students • Bill districts as per agreement stipulations

28. We Can Provide: Site Visit Opportunities Phone/E-mail consultation Written Information Funding Information Planning Assistance Contact Information: Lauri Jennisch Ljennisch@gwaea.org 319.358.6263 800-854-0446 ext 6263 200 Holiday Road Coralville, IA 52241-1178 Interested In Starting Your Own Career Connections Program? Career Connections was supported in part by grant # H324R010020 and H324M010097 from the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs to Grant Wood Area Education Agency. No official Endorsement of the opinions expressed here should be inferred