Improving the Employment Outcomes of Job Seekers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Training and Mentoring Intervention for Employment Consultants

The purpose of this study was to validate a training curriculum for employment consultants who assisted job seekers with intellectual or developmental disabilities in finding individual paid employment. Eighty-four employment consultants from 25 employment programs were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. After receiving training, the employment consultants in the intervention group reported, on average, 3.4 more placements during a one year period, $0.99 greater hourly earnings, and 6.7 more weekly work hours, compared to the employment consultants in the control group. Based on these findings, we recommend that training and mentoring activities be provided for employment consultants to enhance individualized job placement and supports.