Impact of Competency-Based Training and Technical Assistance Employment Outcomes of Individuals With ID/DD

NCT06586827 | Completed Phase 1

• 1 other identifier: HM20029287
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Currently, there are no national pre-requisites for training to become or to be hired as an ES (Employment Specialist). Staff providing employment services have a broad range of educational and training backgrounds. Some individuals have a masters and have completed an ACRE approved course to earn a ACRE (Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators) Basic Employment Certificate in Employment Services while others may have a high school diploma and have not received any additional training. The first phases of the study were important in identifying if the currently identified ACRE competencies are relevant and if the ACRE approved online training course does impact knowledge.

Conditions

Intellectual Disability; Developmental Disability

Keywords

Employment Specialist; Job Coaches

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Impact of VCU ACRE on skills and knowledge

  Identify if VCU ACRE Online Course impact skills and knowledge of employment profession The VCU Supported Employment Online Course is designed to provide knowledge and skill development in competitive integrated employment to include supported and customized employment. The 40-hour training is presented in six modules. Each module is posted for two weeks for a total of twelve weeks. Course content is delivered through an online course format with recorded audio and video presentations, required reading, practical activities, and online discussions covering the following topics: Module 1: Overview and Introduction to Employment First Module 2: Customer Profile and Discovery Module 3: Marketing and Job Development Module 4: Customized Employment Module 5: Job Site Supports Module 6: Social Security and Other Special Topics

  after study completed-9 months

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Impact of VCU ACRE course plus technical assistance

  after study completed-9 months

Study Arms (2)

Control Group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The current VCU-RRTC online course. Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators, accrediting body that has developed competencies for job coaches and that approved the online curriculum that has been provided through the VCU-RRTC for over a decade.

Other: VCU-RRTC Online Course

Experimental

EXPERIMENTAL

The VCU-RRTC course plus TA (Technical Assistance). Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators, accrediting body that has developed competencies for job coaches and that approved the online curriculum that has been provided through the VCU-RRTC for over a decade.

Other: VCU-RRTC Online Course; Other: Zoom Technical Assistance Sessions (6 total)

Interventions

VCU-RRTC Online Course OTHER

Approved by ACRE as its accrediting body and has been offered virtually through the VCU RRTC for over 15 years. The course currently entails: i. Six modules ii. Six online discussion boards iii. Assignments in each module iv. One quiz per module v. Final assignment

Control Group; Experimental

Zoom Technical Assistance Sessions (6 total) OTHER

Technical Assistance sessions will be provided to small groups of participants of 5-7 via Zoom technology. There will be one virtual TA session for each of the six modules that will last for 1 hour. The TA sessions will be provided by a trained SE expert/ mentor. The TA sessions will have instructional plans so that they are delivered consistently and will align with the associated module's content and will entail application and discussion that facilitates implementation and reflection of the material.

Experimental

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Use the VCU RRTC listserv
• Residing or working in the United States
• and older
• have not participated in ACRe training
• Currently providing or will be providing employment services to individuals with ID/DD

You may not qualify if:

• Unable to consent
• Under 18
• Pregnant women
• Prisoners

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Commonwealth University: lead
• National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia, 23298, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Intellectual Disability; Developmental Disabilities

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Whitney Ham

  Virginia Commonwealth University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: phase 1
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: The proposed study will be a randomized control trial, participants will be recruited for the study and once consented they will be randomly assigned to the Control group which entails accessing the current VCU-RRTC online course or the intervention group which will receive the VCU-RRTC course plus TA. TA activities and outlines are attached. Participants who are assigned to the control group will have the opportunity to opt in to the TA sessions after the completion of the third data collection time period. The decision to use an RCT is a natural evolution of the initial two phases of the study and will help provide a comparison of the impact and benefit of additional TA. The addition of the additional two measures that will ask participants to self-report on their employment skills and employment outcomes will also provide important information for future studies.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 26, 2024
• First Posted: September 19, 2024
• Study Start: June 3, 2024
• Primary Completion: April 7, 2025
• Study Completion: April 7, 2025
• Last Updated: July 31, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Locations

US (1)