National Certificate in Employment Services (NCES)

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 situation and with direction and advisement from the CDC and our state and local officials, we are offering this class online with no in-person attendance option.

Six-week commitment consisting of 45 in-class contact training hours and additional community-based skill building activities outside of face-to-face class time.

The National Certificate in Employment Services (NCES) concentrates on practical employment strategies for people with disabilities and provides an overview of significant disabilities, practical strategies for career development, job development and job support, and rehabilitation issues/current trends. This class (or equivalent certification through bi-annual testing through ACRE) is required by the State of Alaska in order to become a Community Rehabilitation Services Provider (CRP).

NCES is designed to help course participants understand and utilize best practices across employment settings. The course focuses primarily on the types of disabilities experienced by VR participants. The skills and information provided can be applied to employment services for people with developmental disabilities, mental illness, traumatic brain injuries, physical disabilities, and many others.

National ACRE Certification!
Upon completion of the NCES classes and homework, participants will be awarded a National Certificate of Achievement in Employment Services from the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE). The Certificate documents satisfactory completion of at least 40 hours of training and professional development provided by an ACRE-approved training resource and is appropriate to use as part of a professional portfolio.

Students must participate in and complete all training activities (including homework assignments) in order to receive the National Certificate in Employment Services from the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators.

Who Should Attend?
NCES is designed for employment specialists, job coaches, production supervisors, program managers and vocational service coordinators. It is especially helpful for staff who are new to the field, who have gained new responsibilities, or who would profit from a better understanding of varied and creative ways to provide effective service.

Course Content:

• Ethics and Values
• Job Analysis/Matching
• Budgeting Time and Training Efforts
• Teaching Strategies
• Disability Overview
• Long-Term Supports
• Challenging Behavior Management
• Discovery/Career Planning/Choice
• Funding Streams and Social Security
• Job Development/Identification
• Cultural & Family Issues
• Newly expanded section including ABLE Act and DB101 information!

Organizational Commitment: We suggest that registrants work directly with supervisors/directors in order to assure you have the necessary support to fully attend all sessions and complete included homework and field assignments. It is expected that participants will be fully engaged while classes are in session and not task sharing time commitments in-office as well.

Instructors:

• Karen Ward, Director, UAA Center for Human Development
• Travis Hedwig, UAA Center for Human Development/ UAA Department of Health Sciences
• Roger Shelley, Training Coordinator, UAA Center for Human Development/Alaska Training Cooperative
• Larrisa Cummings, UAA Center for Human Development
• Holli Yancey, UAA Center for Human Development

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
If you anticipate missing more than two of the classes listed in the schedule, please consider completing the class during a future offering when you will not miss more than two class sessions. The CHD/AKTC e-Learning Portal materials will be available to fully registered and paid participants approximately 1 week prior to the first class session. The web-conference link will also be included in e-Learning Portal for you to access.

All materials are available in an electronic format. If you require hard-copy materials, feel free to print materials that will be available on the CHD/AKTC e-Learning Portal site.

This class is offered through generous partnered funding with the Center for Human Development.