A new approach to disability employment is here:
Introducing Ready, Willing and Able
The California Department of Rehabilitation and the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation America are proud to partner to deliver Ready, Willing and ABLE – an exciting new mentored apprenticeship program which is helping Californians with disabilities to access apprenticeship pathways and secure exciting full-time career opportunities.
Ready, Willing and ABLE represents a new approach to creating long-term employment opportunities for Californians with disabilities, leveraging the unique features of the registered apprenticeship model, to enable Californians with disabilities to prepare for, start and maintain ongoing employment.
The program will soon commence a two-year pilot in Orange County, and through partnerships with local healthcare, disability support service providers, government, industry and civic groups, will support 100 Californians to start ongoing employment as a registered apprentice in the allied healthcare sector.
Apprenticeship programs enable individuals to combine paid employment, formal classroom instruction, on-the-job training and a pathway to ongoing employment through a U.S. Department of Labor recognized qualification.
The Opportunity
More than seven million Californians with disabilities experience inferior employment outcomes and an employment gapwhich is simply unacceptable.
Across all age and educational attainment groups, unemployment rates for persons with a disability are higher than those for personswithout a disability.
In February 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that America’s disability employment gap was over 44% – only 19.1 percent of Americans with a disability were in ongoing employment, compared to 63.7 percent for persons without a disability.
At a time of economy-wide skills shortages, it is important that we encourage California employers to explore new skill developmentmodels to improve career options and employment outcomes for groups which are underrepresented in the workforce, especially Californians with disabilities.
The Solution: Ready, Willing and Able
As part of its commitment to increase the quality and quantity of employment outcomes for Californians with disabilities, the CaliforniaDepartment of Rehabilitation has partnered with the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation America to develop and deliver theReady, Willing and ABLE program.
IWSI has extensive experience developing and delivering healthcare sector apprenticeship programs across America and internationally.
Ready, Willing and ABLE participants will be able to access a full range of support services and benefits, including:
- a competitive wage from day one of their job
- CDOR vocational rehabilitation services
- ongoing personal case-management support
- workplace mentoring
- a structured training plan with a clear pathway to a nationally recognized apprenticeship qualification or associate degree
- ongoing employment opportunities after completing their registered apprenticeship
As well as improving disability employment outcomes for participating individuals and employers, Ready, Willing and ABLE will also deliver a multitude of benefits to the local organizations and communities involved.
We are hopeful the Ready, Willing and ABLE program will provide a blueprint for Californian employers on how they can use the registered apprenticeship model to bridge the disability employment gap whilst also expanding the diversity and skills profile of their labor force.”
Nicholas Wyman, President
Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation America
We are extremely excited to kick-off this innovative pilot in partnership with IWSIA to help meet the talent needs of healthcare employers in Southern California with qualified talented Californians with disabilities who in many instances, and for far too long, have been excluded from full participation in the workforce.
Mark Erlichman, Deputy Director,
California State Department of Rehabilitation
You can be a part of the future as a job seeker or employer partner.
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You can be a part of the future as a job seeker or employer partner.
For more information about how you can get involved with the Ready, Willing and ABLE program, fill in our online contact form or phone 949 685 9020.