Strategy Spotlight: Employer Engagement

Engaging employers is an ongoing challenge for the workforce development system at large, and particularly challenging during this current national recession. While a wide array of employment preparation programs and work experience initiatives are available that assist adults, including those with disabilities, in getting jobs, these programs must coordinate their efforts with employers to ultimately be successful. States in the State Leaders Innovation Institute and State Peer Leaders Network are experimenting with a variety of approaches to overcome this obstacle. Strategies used by states range from primarily informal, one-time communication and information dissemination to employers designed to educate and inform them about existing services and activities, to more intensive engagements and formal relationships that may involve assigning dedicated staff resources to help employers screen, recruit, train, hire, and retain potential employees. The NTAR Leadership Center is currently working with the U.S. Department of Labor-sponsored national technical assistance center for employers on the employment of people with disabilities, managed by Cornell University, and the U.S. Business Leadership Network, to identify promising practices and effective methods for engaging employers.

Listen to the Audio Podcast interview with John Kemp, Executive Director of the U.S. Business Leadership Network about their employer engagement efforts

Read the transcript of the interview with John Kemp