VRS_Moving Forward with Customized Employment During COVID-19

Greetings:

I hope you’re all doing well and enjoying the beauty of summer. Some of you have had questions about Customized Employment (CE) services in the midst of COVID-19.  Considering the vast majority of our work right now is virtual, CE services have reduced significantly since mid-March, 2020.

As you may know, CE is a very intensive process with many activities provided in person. COVID-19 created challenges as #StaySafeMN orders now in place require social distancing, wearing PPE as well as other precautions to help stop the spread of the virus. Although providing CE services amid COVID-19 creates some challenges, it is possible.

National Customized Employment gurus such as Marc Gold & Associates and Griffin-Hammis have shared their guidance regarding the virtual delivery of CE and they agree that although it’s not optimal, it is possible to deliver the CE-Discovery process virtually.

Griffin-Hammis has an excellent webpage available with anytime access to current and past webinars such as “I Can See Myself Working and You Can Too: Getting to Know Job Seekers Remotely!, Customized Employment in a Virtual World and Harnessing Social Capital in a Time of Physical Distancing.” Please consider accessing the Griffin-Hammis webpage for ongoing CE centric webinar training. https://www.griffinhammis.com/resources/covid-19-guidance/

Additionally, I want to invite you to a live DEED-VRS webinar called “Moving Forward with Customized Employment during COVID-19.” The webinar will occur on Tuesday, June 30^th from 1-2 p.m. Although it will be live, it will also be recorded and archived on the DEED Community Partners page. Join us as we share important updates and resources for both DEED-VRS and Community Partner staff. We will also allow plenty of time for Q & A. Look for a WebEx invitation from Staff Development early next week.

Thanks Everyone,