The personnel factor: Exploring the personal attributes of highly successful employment specialists who work with transition-age youth

Abstract

Employment specialists play a pivotal role in assisting youth and adults with disabilities find and retain jobs. This requires a unique combination of skills, competencies and personal attributes. While the fields of career counseling, vocational rehabilitation and special education transition have documented the ideal skills sets needed to achieve desired outcomes, the authors characterize these as essential mechanics. What have not been examined are the personal qualities that effective employment specialists possess. Theorizing that these successful professionals exhibit traits and behaviors beyond the mechanics, the authors conducted a qualitative study incorporating in-depth interviews with 17 top-performing staff of a highly successful national program, The Marriott Foundation's Bridges from school to work. Four personal attributes emerged from the interviews: (a) principled optimism; (b) cultural competence; (c) business-oriented professionalism; and (d) networking savvy. In presenting these findings, the authors discuss the implications for recruitment, hiring, training, and advancing truly effective employment specialists, and offer recommendations for further research.

The importance of relationships in the encounter between NAV staff and young, vulnerable users. An action research study

“…In a Norwegian-Swedish study, the clients describe as especially useful those encounters in which they feel recognition for some aspects of their life situation that frequently go unrecognised in other arenas (Ylvisaker, 2013). In a study from North America, Tilson and Simonsen (2013) show how successful work-related support for vulnerable young people is characterised by a genuine confidence in these young people's abilities, an awareness of their life context and an ability to communicate with them and their families. A Danish study also describes the social workers' ability to build users' selfefficacy as crucial for their success in returning to work (Danneris & Dall, 2017).…”

«Du vil ha behov for ytterligere arbeidstrening». En studie av begrunnelser i arbeidsavklaringsprosess

“…En tett og helhetlig innsats fra aktuelle hjelpetjenester er sentralt når den unges utfordringer er sammensatte (Anvik & Waldahl, 2016;Frøyland, 2017;Mikkelsgård, Granerud & Høye, 2014). Engasjement og en positiv orientering er kvaliteter hos NAV-veiledere og andre sentrale hjelpere som er av betydning (Bragdø & Spjelkavik, 2013;Frøyland, 2017;Mikkelsgård et al, 2014;Tilson & Simonsen, 2013). Relasjonen til hjelperen fremheves dessuten som betydningsfull (Frøyland, 2017;Stenbrenden, Haukland & Knutsen, 2018).…”

Status of Credentialing Structures Related to Secondary Transition: A State-Level Policy Analysis

“…In most states, any special educator holding a valid special education credential and working in a secondary school can be responsible for providing transition education and services (Morningstar & Clark, 2003). Given the critical role of secondary special educators and direct-service transition professionals in supporting students with disabilities in obtaining positive post-school outcomes (Tilson & Simonsen, 2013), understanding how states are credentialing and preparing these professionals is important for ensuring educators have the necessary skills to support youth with disabilities as they move through the transition process.…”

“…To support the transition of youth with disabilities from high school into post–school life, there is a need for professionals (e.g., secondary special educators, career-technical education [CTE] educators, vocational rehabilitation [VR] personnel) to have specialized knowledge and skills to provide effective secondary transition programs, practices, and services (Morningstar & Mazzotti, 2014; Test & Cease-Cook, 2012). This includes, but is not limited to (a) having specialized knowledge of secondary transition evidence-based practices (EBPs) and predictors of post-school success, (b) conducting transition assessment, (c) developing post-school goals aligned with individualized education program (IEP) goals and transition services, (d) facilitating career development and work-based learning opportunities, and (e) providing transition services in collaboration with adult service providers (Mazzotti, Test, & Mustian, 2014; Tilson & Simonsen, 2013).…”