Training Calendar

Recruit, Cultivate and Retain (RCR) is a leadership series designed for mid-level managers working in employment and community inclusion service provider agencies. By joining RCR, you will have the opportunity to develop immediately usable skills for developing your own career and promoting increased job satisfaction for staff you manage. In community with other program managers, we will re-energize, create solutions to complex problems and share expertise.

Goals:

• Learn strategies for recruiting, developing and retaining staff
• Increase your leadership skills as a manager and leader
• Develop a plan for advancing your career
• Hone systems and processes for developing staff into leadership positions
• Connect with other leaders that are managing employment and day services
• Deepen and develop relationships across organizations in your community

For more information and to register go to https://www.gowise.org/home/training/rcr/

UMF students can prepare for a career as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) with access to the University of Maine at Augusta’s Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Technician Certificate (SART).

This UMF/UMA collaboration makes preparing for the CADC exam simpler than ever Take up to 15 credits—of the 30 total required for UMA's SART Certificate—online or in person at UMF With your certificate, you can apply for Maine's Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) license.

These are past recorded webinars. You can earn 1 hour of professional development if you watch the recording and complete the short quiz.

Here is a list of current topics:

Outcome Orientated Planning for Transition Age Youth

Using a 30-Day Placement Plan

Developing Work-Based Learning Experiences for Students and Youth

Best Practices in Job Coaching and Supports

Strategies for Developing Job Opportunities in Maine’s Rural and Remote Communities

Initiatives and Resources for Individuals Considering Self Employment

OADs Self Employment Stories from Rhode Island

Using Progressive Employment

Supporting Challenging Behaviors in the Workplace

Technology Tools on the Job

Best Practices in Social Media

Practicing with Technology Tools

The Art of Disclosure

Creative Strategies for Showcasing Job Seekers: Beyond Traditional Resumes

Supporting Individuals with Complex Needs

Supporting Individuals with Brain Injuries to Meet their Employment Goals

Our online course is for case managers and care coordinators supporting adults with disabilities and transition age youth on a path to employment.

Our course offers strategies to:

❖ enhance your career path

❖ increase your capacity to support individuals on an employment journey

MAINE’S VISION FOR EMPLOYMENT

This course fits your busy schedule.

❖ Complete the course anywhere with internet access at your desk or on the go with a mobile device.

❖ Finish the whole course at once or in smaller pieces. Save your work and pick up where you left off using the course navigation.

This course is interactive and immersive.

❖ Take your time to reflect and analyze problems before answering the questions.

❖ Explore real-life scenarios, case studies, and stories and check your knowledge with quizzes.

❖ Download additional resources to continue studying over time.

COURSE CONTENT

(approximate time for completion: 5-6 hours)

Our course emphasizes the critical role case managers play in ensuring opportunities to experience competitive integrated employment.

Module 1: Employment Foundations: A positive vision for the future influences our desire to work. Learn about expectations, national perspectives, various types of paid employment, strategies for supporting families, and more.

Module 2: Employment Pathways: Informed choice is key to successful decision making. Learn about dignity of risk, individual voice, guided conversations around integrated employment, job satisfaction, and more.

Module 3: The Employment Process: Get to know the job seeker to help them find a good job match. Learn from self-advocates about advocacy, how to plan for job supports, customized jobs, employee retention, and more.

Module 4: Collaborating with Vocational Rehabilitation: Partnering with VR is mutually beneficial. Learn about defining employment pathways, VR application and eligibility processes, long term supports after job placement, and more.

Learners can access the course from July 1 - August 31, 2025. The course will be open 24/7 and learners can log in and complete the work at their convenience.

Registration will open in June 2025

Self-determination, informed choice, and dignity of risk are integral components of effective and authentic person-centered employment planning for job seekers with intellectual disabilities. This free online course will include strategies and resources on how to support the development and inclusion of these components in employment services for people with disabilities.

The course will be available 24/7 during the month of September so you can log in at your convenience and complete the work. The course has 2 hours’ worth of content, and you will receive a letter of completion which can be used for educator professional credits and employment staff professional development hours. Questions about this training should be sent to kelly.wanzer@umb.edu.

This course is appropriate for educators, employment specialists, career planners and job coaches who assists individuals with disabilities to find and maintain jobs in the community.

A strong Career Planner has skills and abilities that support working with people one-to-one, talking with businesses, learning to connect people to companies, and capturing accurate information to develop a detailed, organized Career Plan. Join the training series today!

Dates for the full Certificate Series:

• September 3, 9–11:00am (Zoom webinar #1)
• September 11, 8:30am–3:30pm (Live session at the DHHS, OADS Office; 41 Anthony Avenue in Augusta; please arrive at 8:15 am)
• September 18, 9–11:00am (Zoom webinar #2)
• September 25, 9–11:00am (Zoom webinar #3)
• October 2 (back up day, if needed)

Here are some things to know before applying:

• You must be fully certified as a Work Support Professional or an ACRE Employment Specialist to attend this training.
• You must attend all sessions to receive the certificate, after completing an evaluation.
• There will be assigned homework between sessions.
• The class will be limited to the first 25 enrollees.
• Registration is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

You will receive the Zoom link for the webinars in a confirmation email closer to each webinar’s start date. For questions, contact: Lisa.D.Sturtevant@maine.gov.