Enhance your skills as an Employment Support Practitioner (ESP) with this comprehensive, self-paced training designed to equip you with the tools to effectively support clients and collaborate with employers. Dive into five engaging modules that cover everything from client onboarding to employer engagement and crisis management, all rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices.

Course Description

This training includes five modules to guide you through an Employment Support Practitioner’s (ESP) essential roles and responsibilities within employment service organizations. You'll learn the entire process, from engaging with new clients to closing cases. 

Key topics: 

• Assessment and On-boarding 
• On-site Supports  
• Off-site Supports 
• Effective Employer Engagement 
• Crisis Management and Post Employment 

This training emphasizes client-centred strategies, ensuring learners support clients while respecting employers’ needs. You’ll learn how to escalate unresolved cases when necessary. 

Although designed for working with clients with disabilities, these principles apply universally. The content is rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices, drawing from trusted sources like universities, government agencies, and non-profits. 

This learning plan will prepare learners for the ESP role, equipping you with the knowledge to confidently navigate the employment support process and address any challenges. 

This learning plan builds off the Disability Management Training. Although not mandatory, we do encourage learners to take the Disability Management training first before the Employment Support Practitioner Essentials to get the most out of these complimentary trainings. 

Learning Opportunity

At the end of this training, learners will be able to: 

• have a client referred and registered with your organization and prepared for ESP services; 
• conduct an initial appointment/needs assessment with the client, discussing their employment obstacles, personal barriers and additional support systems; 
• prepare client to decide whether to disclose a disability; 
• have a client understand what human resources is; 
• make a client aware of their rights and responsibilities; 
• conduct conflict of interest assessment;  
• begin drafting initial stages of ESP Support Plan;  
• decide whether employment support will take place on or off-site.  
• gain approval from the client to proceed with on-site support; 
• meet with the employer and introduce ESP services; 
• discuss central client and workplace concerns with the employer;  
• gain approval from the employer to proceed with on-site support; 
• escalate to Module 4: Employer Engagement and Module 5: Crisis Management if employer does not want to proceed with ESP services; 
• perform on-site support and resolve both client and employer concerns; 
• make sure that the client understands why these on-site support sessions are necessary, what to expect during these sessions and what is at stake; 
• consider additional needs, accommodations and/or referrals depending on updates from on-site support. 
• gain approval from the client to proceed with off-site support; 
• set up a preferred meeting format with the client; 
• meet with the client to discuss their employment concerns; 
• meet with the employer to discuss employment concerns (if necessary); 
• make sure that the client understands why these off-site support sessions are necessary, what to expect during these sessions and what is at stake; 
• consider additional needs, accommodations and/or referrals depending on updates from off-site support; 
• schedule regular check-ins with client.  
• decide whether continued employer engagement is necessary; 
• arrange additional meetings with employer if continued engagement is necessary; 
• advise employers on best diversity, equity, and inclusion practices; 
• understand an employer’s responsibility to accommodate; 
• walk employers through stages of developing workplace accommodations; 
• manage employer expectations during the accommodation process. 
• decide whether a client’s current employment support requires crisis management; 
• decide whether additional mediation and advocacy would be beneficial for the client; 
• ensure ESPs have managed employer expectations to the best of their ability; 
• ensure that employers have fulfilled their legal obligation to clients; 
• engage in de-escalation strategies if needed; 
• provide options for the client moving forward if they decide to leave their employer; 
• close out a client’s employment support services and notify their Case Manager that their support services have ended; 
• fill out any remaining paperwork and/or data entry to close out a client’s case; 
• return to active employment support caseload. 
• close out a client’s employment support services; 
• notify a client’s Case Manager that a client’s employment support services are coming to an end; 
• fill out any remaining paperwork and/or data entry to close out a client’s case; 
• return to active employment support caseload. 

Course Structure

This learning plan is self-paced and will take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.