Employment planning services are designed to assist a person seeking employment to learn about employment opportunities within the community and to make informed decisions. Employment planning services are individualized to assist a person to choose employment outcomes and/or career development opportunities based on his or her preferences, strengths, abilities, and needs. Services begin from a presumption of employability for all persons and seek to provide meaningful information related to planning effective programs for persons with intervention strategies needed to achieve the goal of employment.
Employment planning uses some type of employment exploration model. This may involve one or more of the following:
- Situational assessments.
- Paid work trials.
- Job tryouts (may be individual, crew, enclave, cluster, etc.).
- Job shadowing.
- Community-based assessments.
- Simulated job sites.
- Staffing agencies/temporary employment agencies.
- Volunteer opportunities.
- Transitional employment.
Some examples of quality outcomes desired by the different stakeholders of these services include:
- Work interests are explored and identified.
- Recommendations for employment options are appropriate.
- Employment planning reports lead to job goals.
- Transferable work skills and employment barriers are identified.
- Benefits planning is included.
- Services are timely in their delivery.
- Services are cost-effective.
- Individuals served understand recommendations that are made.
- Individuals served identify desired employment outcomes.
