Trainings

In collaboration with the Minnesota Organization for Habilitation and Rehabilitation (MOHR), MTI holds quarterly trainings focused on organizational transformation. These are free and open to any employment and day service provider in Minnesota. MOHR supports the MTI team to select training topics that are relevant to Minnesota providers interested in transformation and to identify trainers from MOHR member organizations with experience in the training topic.

Upcoming Trainings

May 16, 2024, 1-2:30 p.m. Central Time

MTI Quarterly Training Series: Updates on Statewide Employment Initiatives

In the first part of this webinar, representatives from state agencies will share updates on employment initiatives taking place across Minnesota, including E1MN, the interagency alignment study, and the GoMN! project. In the second half, the Minnesota Transformation Initiative (MTI) team will share highlights from the first two years of MTI and what’s next for MTI.

Register here for the training.

Recorded Trainings

February 15, 2024

MTI Quarterly Training Series: Engaging Employers for Competitive, Integrated Employment

A necessary part of supporting people to find competitive, integrated jobs in engaging with local employers. Building connections with employers and understanding their business needs is key to creating and finding good job matches for people with disabilities. Dominique Berg, the director of compliance and employment for STEP, Inc., and Denise Johnson, the employment development director of PHASE-Industries, share how their teams have worked with employers to find and customize jobs.

November 16, 2023

MTI Quarterly Training Series: "The Finances of Transformation and Employment Services"

One of the most daunting parts of organizational transformation is planning for the financial implications, as shown in this webinar. Not only do organizations have to consider an approach to finances that will sustain their new service model, but they need to have a financial plan to manage the transitions from existing services and infrastructure to the organization’s new vision. This training has two parts. In part one, Brian Benshoof, the former CEO of MRCI, explains how MRCI approached the financial transition from center-based services to services provided exclusively in the community. In part two, Jon Alexander, the CEO of Kaposia, describes how Kaposia maintains financial sustainability while providing services focused on competitive, integrated employment.

August 17, 2023

MTI Quarterly Training Series: "Embedding Benefits Planning into Agency Culture"

Benefits planning isn't separate from employment. It's simply part of the conversation, as Beth Grube, Benefits Planning Coordinator at DHS, explains in this webinar. It's important to incorporate benefits conversations and planning into your organization's culture. Start by learning about strategies to make sure benefits don't hold people back from reaching their employment goals. In this MTI Quarterly Training, you’ll learn from other agencies who have made benefits conversations part of their agency culture. You’ll also get information, tools, and resources to help you and your staff embed benefits planning into your agency’s culture.

August 9, 2023

"Starfire Council: Transformation and Supporting Community Life Engagement Outcomes in Ohio"

Starfire, of Cincinnati, Ohio, ran award-winning outings and day programs for decades. Beginning in 2010, the organization transformed from disability-centered programming to community-centered programming. In this webinar, Tim Vogt, Starfire's Learning Network Director, and Bridget Vogt, Starfire's Community Builder Coordinator, recall that journey, and the lessons and values that carried the organization along the way.

May 25, 2023

MTI Quarterly Training Series: "Community Life Engagement"

As many states consider the movement away from 14c subminimum wage usage for people with disabilities, there is emerging research emphasizing the need to better connect unpaid day activities to a pathway to employment. Half of individuals who participate in unpaid and other facility-based activities say that they want to work in a community job.

In this webinar, Jennifer Sulewski, Associate Director and Assistant Research Professor at University of New Hampshire, provides an overview of research and tools developed from the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston. She is joined by Karen Lee, Executive Director of Supporting Employment Equality and Community (SEEC ), a disability support service provider in Maryland, who explains how her organization infuses these principles and tools into practice as an essential part of a pathway to, and a wrap-around for, employment.

March 23, 2023

Workforce Development Series: "Implementing a Credentialing Program to Retain Staff Long-Term"

Credentialing programs for direct support professionals and frontline supervisors are being researched and developed by states and provider organizations across the country, and for good reason. Credentialing programs allow for specified training that builds upon itself, allowing DSPs and FLSs to learn at their own pace and continue to grow and develop in their field. Implementing a credentialing program that is paired with competency-based training allows for the professionalization of the roles of DSPs and FLSs, builds in compensation and appreciation of continuing training, and reduces turnover.

This webinar looks at credentialing, best practices, current programs, trends across the country, and things to consider when exploring the possibility of implementing a credentialing program at your organization.

February 24, 2023

Workforce Development Series: "Training New and Existing Staff to Improve Retention"

Quality training is essential to retaining a highly-skilled, competent, and confident workforce. It can be difficult to find time to properly train new direct support professionals(DSPs) and frontline supervisors (FLSs) beyond compliance and to keep long-time employees engaged in the organization. It can also be challenging to ensure that training is meeting the current needs (and desires!) of the employees, is resulting in better outcomes, and if the training is reducing turnover or other key metrics in your organization. Staff from the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota discuss best practices in training including onboarding and orientation of new employees, continuing to provide training for long-time staff that goes beyond compliance, and measuring outcomes to ensure that the training is meeting the needs of the employees. Minnesota-based training resources are discussed and also best practices in supporting DSPs and FLSs to get the training they need to go beyond competence in their jobs.

February 16, 2023

MTI Quarterly Training Series: "Managing Through Change”

Presenters: Tim Schmutzer, Chief Executive Officer, PHASE-Industries; and Tami Reuter, Chief Business and Marketing Officer, MRCI

Description: Organizations that transform from more traditional service models to those that prioritize competitive integrated employment outcomes successfully understand the importance of managing effectively through the change. In this webinar, two agency leaders describe their experiences and lessons learned while managing their organization’s change process.

January 26, 2023

Workforce Development Series: "Collecting and Using Data to Inform Workforce Development Strategies"

Presenters: Danielle Mahoehney and Megan Sanders, ICI

Description: This webinar discusses how providers can use their data to inform workforce solutions techniques to recruit, select, train, and retain quality direct support professionals (DSPs) and frontline supervisors (FLSs) to improve services for people supported. It also shows how providers can use and compare data to understand the pressure points in their workforce and how to implement and evaluate workforce solutions.

November 17, 2022

"Setting a Vision & Defining Success"

Presenter: Karen Herman, Udac

Description: Organizational Transformation can get messy. It is critical that organizations both understand and define their long-term vision and ultimately how success will be defined. This webinar digs into setting and communicating a clear vision that strives for competitive and integrated employment outcomes for people with disabilities and shows how to turn this vision into action.

August 18, 2022

"The 10 Essential Elements of Organizational Transformation"

Presenters: Staci Jones, UMass – Boston; and Don Lavin, Strengths@Work, LLC

Description: This webinar gives an overview of the 10 Essential Elements of Organizational Transformation. These ten elements are based on research conducted by the University of Massachusetts - Boston’s Institute for Community Inclusion. They provide a framework for providers working to transform from center-based services to supports for competitive integrated employment and community engagement. This webinar introduces each of the ten elements and includes reflections from Suzy Hutcheson, Executive Director of Helping People Succeed Florida, an organization that has successfully transformed from center-based settings to one focused on competitive integrated employment and community life engagement.

View the webinar .