Career Exploration & Plan Development Day Five

1. Career Exploration& Plan Development Day Five Questions? “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there….” Yogi Berra Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 1

2. Day Five Agenda • Review/Questions • Achievement Story #3 • Final Review – Career Decision-Making Packet • Overview of an Individual Plan for Employment • Completing an Individual Employment Plan Worksheet • Presentation of Tentative Plans & Next Steps • Employment Readiness Scale Post-Assessment • Workshop Evaluation Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 2

3. Achievement Story #3 • Any thoughts about Developing Story #3? Be sure to enter this information into the Career Decision-Making Packet (Pg. 2, # 21): Enter any new skills in Achievement Story #3: Skills section Place Achievement Story #3 in appropriate part of folder…. Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 3

4. Achievement Story #3 • Any new insights? • Was the process easier than before? • Could you now develop a complete story about your achievement, from beginning to end? • Will you be able to transfer some of these skills to a future resume? • Or could you talk about this achievement in an interview? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 4

5. Achievement Stories • Consolidating Your Achievement Story Skills • Examine skills from your three stories. • Are there any common skills in your three stories…….Possible clues to the future? • Review your total list of skills from all three stories, and circle those in the Grid Packet (Pg. 3) that you would most like to use in your future job. • Feedback about the Achievement Story process? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 5

6. Morning Break • Back at _____________ Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 6

7. Career Decision-Making Packet • Tool to assist in narrowing down and choosing your job goal • Self-Exploration (Pgs. 2-4 Activity) • What Have You Learned About Each of Your Personal Characteristics? • What Did I Learn About Me? • You should have recorded brief results on worksheet for each characteristic. • Review the results of each of the characteristics that you considered during the workshop. Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 7

8. Occupational Exploration • Look at the list of occupations that have been suggested by the exercises. • Pick the one, two or three occupations that you are most interested in. • Do you have an Occupational Profile for each of those occupations? • For each Occupation, review the What Did I Learn About Me? (Pgs. 2 & 3) results, and indicate any characteristics that seem to match the characteristics of that occupation. Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 8

9. What’s Your Favorite SODA? • DECIDE (Pg. 5) • Look at those occupations which you have chosen • Decide which job(s) provide the following: • best match with your characteristics • most realistic outlook for future • best job availability/opportunity in your chosen living area • wages that will support you and family • job goal that will be supported by your VRC Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 9

10. Overview of Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) • Goal P. 38-40 Activity • Lists the specific job you have selected as your target employment goal • Services • Lists the kinds of services you will need to reach your employment goal • Counseling • Training • Support Services • Job Search Assistance Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 10

11. IPE • Progress Points • Sets markers to determine progress • Client Responsibilities • Indicates what you have to do in this process • Rehab Technology • Indicates technology needed, dependent on your disability – hearing aids, learning aids, etc. • Post-Employment • Indicates who may need assistance after job begins Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 11

12. Developing an Individual Plan for Employment (Worksheet) • Complete item #’s 1 – 3 p. 41-44 Activity • Item #4 - Employment Goal • Do you now have some employment ideas? • What job would you like to perform? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 12

13. Employment Goal • Will you need additional training to be employable? • If so, is the training available locally at a reasonable cost? • What questions are still unanswered in terms of your employment goal? • What do you need to do to finalize your employment goal? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 13

14. Work Setting • What kind of work setting or environment are you interested in? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 14

15. Disability/Challenges • What challenges are presented by your disability? (refer to Disabilities discussions) • What challenges does your disability present? • Are you physically and/or emotionally healthy enough to pursue and accept employment at this time? Full-time or part-time? • With what you have learned, do you have questions about how your disability will affect your ability to work? or do you feel good about it? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 15

16. Other Employment Challenges • Are there other challenges to employment? • Are you ready to pursue employment now? • Do you have adequate transportation? • Are you getting the kinds of support that you need to pursue employment? • Do you have a means of current financial support until you get employed? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 16

17. Employment Plan - Services • What kinds of help will you need to reach your employment goal? • Counseling with VRC • Education & Training • Support Services • Job Search/Placement Assistance • Occupational Tools & Equipment • Rehabilitation Technology Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 17

18. How Will You Measure Progress? • What steps will you and your VCR use to measure your progress toward competitive employment? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 18

19. Client Responsibilities • What will you need to do to pursue your employment goal? • Develop a list of responsibilities or steps you need to complete in order to finalize your employment plan. Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 19

20. Next Steps in Finalizing My Plan Review the IPE Plan worksheet you just completed…. Organize and highlight/circle the issues and/or questions that still need to be addressed in these parts of your plan: • Goal • Disability/Employment Challenges • Services • Measures of Progress • Responsibilities Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 20

21. My Next Steps? • Self • Do you have a clear picture of your strengths, needs and goals? • If not, what further information do you need? • Occupations • What issues/questions re: possible occupations still need to be answered to narrow down your choices of an employment goal? • Do you know how/where to get those answers? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 21

22. My Next Steps/Challenges? • Decide & Develop Plan • Do you have all of the information you need to make a decision and commit yourself to an employment goal? Is your Plan complete? • If not, who can help you with this process? • Act on Your Plan • Are you ready to put your plan into motion? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 22

23. Noon Break • Be back _________ Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 23

24. Employment Readiness ScalePost-Assessment • Facilitators will direct you to the computers to re-take the ERS Post-Assessment….. • You will be reviewing these results with your VRC at your next appointment…… • The results will give you and your VRC a good measure of how the workshop helped you with your progress toward eventual employment. Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 24

25. Final Thoughts • What is your reaction to this whole process? • Are you closer to finalizing an employment plan than when you started? Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 25

26. Evaluation • Please complete the evaluation form, in order to give us your feedback about the workshop…. • You may want to refer to your Day 1-4 Thoughts….. • You do not need to put your name on the form. • It helps if you can give us ideas about what worked well and what didn’t. • We would also appreciate any ideas about possible changes to the workshop….. Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 26

27. Congratulations! • Presentation of Career Exploration Workshop Completion Certificates Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 27

28. Thank You for Your Participation! • We thank you for your hard work, ideas and input in helping you work toward an employment goal! • We hope to hear good things about your progress. • Drive safely! Maine Vocational Rehabilitation 28