Iowa’s Career Connections Program:BBuilding 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

Post High School Employment Outcomes for SCI Program Grads

Employment Status of SCI

Program Grads

Year 1 Grads

(17 mo post HS)

Year 2 Grads

(5 mo post HS

Unemployed 42.9% 30.8%

Employed Part Time

14.3% 23%

Employed Full Time

42.9% 46.2%

Ave. Mo./job 7.2 mo./job 2.6 mo./job

Factors Contributing to Disappointing Employment Outcomes

Insufficient work experience

Poor job matches Lack of assistance in

finding, learning and keeping a job

What Can We Do About It? Iowa’s Career Connections Program

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

How is Career Connections Organized?

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

Career Connections Referral Considerations

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

CC Elements & Process

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

Additional CC Services

• Resume Writing• Job Search/Apps• Interview Skills• Travel Training• Nutrition

• Budgeting Help• Meds Mgmt• Assistive Tech• Link to Comm.

Resources• Daily Living Skills

Who Gets What Services?

7%9%

13% 13%

25%

58%

65%

71%

78%

82%84% 84%

89% 89% 91%95%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Percentage of Students Receiving Career Connections Services

Meet Ryan:A student with an “unattainable” career goal 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Helping Wesley Develop His VisionWesley 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  

Wesley’s VisionWesley wanted:To work around machineryPhysical 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

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

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

Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions 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

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

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

CC Outcomes: Jobs Obtained

• 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

Pre/Post CC Employment Outcomes:Hours/Week Worked

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

CC North CC South CC Average

Pre CC Hrs/wk

Post CC Hrs/wk5.8

30.5

5.6

31.5

5.8

29.2

427% Increase

Pre/Post CC Employment Outcomes:Hourly Wage

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

CC North CC South CC Average

Pre CC Hrly Wage

Post CC Hrly Wage

$8.02

$2.15$1.81

$7.68

$2.52

$8.34

272% Increase

Pre/Post CC Employment Outcomes:Monthly Wages

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

CC North CC South CC Average

Pre CC MonthlyWages

Post CC MonthyWages

$1093

$150$148

$1175

$147

$1025

628% Increase

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 ?

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 (lower chart right)

Interagency Agreement specifies:– School/CC Program responsibilities– Billing process & rate for half-Yr students

Bill districts as per agreement stipulations

Student Level UC Multiplier

L1 1.0

L2 1.65

L3 3.3

Level:L1

Billing:$6,006

Districts Get$9,173

L2 $9,910 $11,786

L3 $19,820 $20,052

Interested In Starting Your Own Career Connections Program?

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

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