Planning for Successful Employment Series 1 of 4
Guest Blogger: Deanna Heuring, Ed.S.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, “46% of new employees fail within 18 months, and of these, 89% fail because of a lack of soft skills, such as professionalism or the ability to get along with others.” What was once known as “soft skills,” now known as employability skills, are interpersonal skills an employee demonstrates, not job tasks. An employee with good Employability Skills can usually be taught hard skills, especially in the population of individuals with disabilities. It is frequently found that if individuals with disabilities can be coached to have good Employability Skills, they will be better employees. Businesses that have employed individuals with disabilities report better retention, better attendance, and more consistent work performance.
In St. Louis, the Community Transition team and Special School District of St. Louis County developed Local Industry Standards that align with Missouri Learning Standards and Guidance Counseling Grade Level expectations, specifically listing the Employability Skills that employers seek. These standards cover the expectations of employers for several types of employment: Competitive Self-Employment, Competitive Employment, Supported Employment, and Pre-Employment Programs. For Local Industry Standards, click here. In this series, I will review the standards, why they are essential, and provide ideas for how to teach the skills at home and in the educational setting. This blog series features the Local Industry Standards and ways families can use tasks at home to prepare their individuals for employment. Check back for the next blog as we unwrap these standards and activities.
Deanna Heuring, Ed. S. owns Graceful Transition, LLC. Helping others navigate through areas of employment, college, and elder transition. Deanna has been an educator for over 15 years, focusing on individuals with disabilities. She currently teaches in a job skills training program based in the St. Louis community. With a long focus on the "transition" period of education, she set out to provide assistance to families at all stages of life. Transition Education in Missouri, and most states is considered the time period between the ages of 16-21. It refers to planning for life after graduation from K-12 education. Deanna believes families can prepare for "transition" long before age 16, which is the basis of the creation of Life Transition Services for Individuals with Disabilities.
https://sites.google.com/view/graceful-transitions-llc/home?authuser=0
