Online Courses

Maryland Works is pleased to offer another free member benefit exclusively to our Provider Network & Workforce Network members:  Maryland Works Online Job Coaching 101 Training Course was developed in consultation with nationally renowned subject matter experts, Transcen, with input from DDA, BHA, and DORS. A special thank you goes to the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council for their financial support.

This course was developed as an orientation for new Job Coaches in the state of Maryland. It provides an overview of the history of disability services and how Maryland approaches the expansion of employment through developing new jobs, teaching skills and supporting new employment sites. This self-paced training will let your new staff know what is to be expected of them and will increase their knowledge on how to assist employees with disabilities to help them become and remain successful. This four-module course consists of webinars and PDF copies of PowerPoint slides for downloading along with several activities that engage trainees and allow them to apply those concepts after successfully completing all four modules. Each module concludes with a self-grading quiz and all trainees who successfully complete the four modules will be issued a Certificate of Completion from Maryland Works.

The Online Job Coaching 101 Training consists of four (approx. 1.5-hour) training modules:

• Module 1: Roles and Responsibilities
• Module 2: Teaching New Skills: A Job Coach’s Toolkit
• Module 3: Setting Goals, Measuring Success and Reporting Progress
• Module 4: Stabilization, Encouraging Independence and Fading Coaching Support

If you have an account set up there is no need to create a new one. Once your registration has been received and approved; an email will be sent to you from the email that was provided within 48 hours for access to the online training.

Maryland Works is proud to offer this course at no charge to our Provider Network members to utilize on an as-needed basis. Our goal is to help you build a solid foundation for your new Job Coaches and equip new staff with the knowledge and resources necessary to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

Human beings are magnificent creatures. We are brilliant in our capacity to problem solve, reason, and think through challenging situations. As humans we are also flawed. Our experiences and prejudices often interfere with our ethical thinking in a manner that escapes our awareness. In this course we will examine the roadblocks we must overcome to be more ethical in our thinking. We will also explore methods to clarify decision making.

Course Objectives

• Examine cognitive dissonance and explore the role rationalizations play in our decision making
• Understand the rules and complications to ethical thinking that occurs in our profession
• Identify CRC rules as they apply to various decisions
• Practice a new strategy for clarifying decision making

What You May Expect

There are four chapters in this course, each consisting of approximately 30 minutes of course study (individual time will vary). Successful completion of the quiz at the conclusion of the course is required for certification of completion. You will receive 2 CRC ethics credits OR a certificate of completion for completing this course.

What You Will Need

• Commitment and time to complete the course
• A quiet place, free of distraction
• Time for reflection
• Your awesome self

No doubt, you've heard the old saying that "People don't leave jobs; they leave managers." This comes up time and time again in studies on why people quit jobs and so it seems important for managers to understand, especially since I'm hearing that employers are facing unprecedented challenges in filling vacancies and retaining good employees these days.   

This course will introduce and discuss factors influending an employee's job satisfaction, work performance, teamwork and retention. We will also provide a few tips for how managers can work to motivate and inspire team members, leading to improved morale and retention.  

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize how leadership styles and approaches can make a difference in a team's performance,
2. Recognize interests, strengths, weaknesses and preferences in employees and what motivates / inspires them as individuals, 
3. Learn strategies for motivating and inspiring employees, leading to improved performance, job satisfaction and retention

One of the more difficult career moves is being promoted from within a department to become the manager of that group.  Going from a peer, who previously may have complained or gossiped about the manager with other colleagues, to the person others now talk about, can make for a stressful transition.  This module will provide some helpful tips and strategies for how you can make that transition more smoothly and become the excellent leader you always imagined.

Learning Objectives:

1) Understand the potential roadblocks of promotion

2) Learn tips and strategies for making a smooth transition from peer to manager

2) Apply learning to case studies to enhance learning experience

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susan Gaillard has worked in the field of Vocational Rehabilitation for over 34 years.  For the first half of her career, she provided direct services to consumers with disabilities in various VR Counselor roles in both West Virginia and Virginia, before transitioning to the Virginia State VR agency's Central Office where she worked in a number of specialty program areas, including Supported Employment Program Manager, VR Training Coordinator, and finally retiring after several years as a Talent Development Consultant, straddling the agency's Human Resources and Vocational Rehabilitation Divisions.   Her focus in HR was on leadership development for supervisors and managers across the agency, while her focus in the VR Division was on ensuring new VR Counselors, and other front line staff, had the skills and competencies required to perform their complex jobs.   Susan has served on Advisory Councils for Rehabilitation Counseling Departments across several universities, including Virginia Commonwealth University, George Washington University and West Virginia University.  She has a Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).      

Susan lives in Richmond, VA with her husband and their dog, Luke.   She enjoys spending time with family, reading, and hiking.  Her happy place is on the beach, anywhere, anytime!