Vocational rehabilitation professionals who use customized training as an employment strategy can become not only a respected resource for employers looking for quality employees, but more effective in providing career opportunities for people with disabilities searching for quality employment.

Customized training programs are partnerships between employers and local training providers, such as community colleges or community-based organizations. The program’s goal is to provide employees with the specific skills needed by an employer or group of employers. There are many benefits to using customized training as an employment strategy, including:

• high-quality, well-paying employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
• direct connection to jobs; participants become part of a pool of qualified candidates, often paid while training.
• access to up-to-date employment opportunities.
• opportunities within multiple career pathways that go beyond entry-level work.
• efficiency in allocating limited resources as costs can be reimbursed, shared, or distributed across partners, depending on the customized training model.
• enhanced visibility with businesses as a valuable disability expert, consultant, and supplier of qualified talent pools.
• federal attention, resources, and funding by aligning the employment strategy with federal focus.