Abstract
Training initiatives for supported employment personnel have proliferated over the past 15 years. The vast majority of efforts have focused on training for direct service personnel, such as job coaches and job developers, with a smaller subset focusing on managerial staff. This study was designed to investigate the training needs of supported employment program managers at the completion of a three-year federally funded supported employment systems change grant. Program Manager Questionnaires developed by the authors were mailed to 82 program managers in Louisiana. Fifty-two (63%) surveys were completed and returned. Respondents ranged in age from 25 to 63 years; 20 (38.5%) were males, and 32 (61.5%) were females. Descriptive statistics were calculated to identify demographic information about the program managers and their supported employment programs. Chi-square analyses indicated that the length of time the agency had provided services, the respondent's job title, and the respondent's experience with supported employment made differences on preferred training formats. Further, respondent's experience and employment status made differences in terms of preferred training needs.