Hot Off the Press
July 7, 2009
National Association of Counties Recognizes Customized Employment Project
The Customized Employment Public Intern Project, based in Montgomery County, Maryland, received a coveted 2009 NACo Achievement Award. The project was based on a 2003-2007 DOL/ODEP-funded Customized Employment demonstration project to the Montgomery County Workforce Investment Board.
Read the Press Release
June 22, 2009
Montgomery County Customized Employment Intern Project Wins National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award
Montgomery County Maryland 's Customized Employment Public Intern Project received a 2009 NACo Achievement Award. The program was founded on a successful DOL/ODEP-funded Customized Employment Initiative to the Montgomery County Workforce Investment Board.
May 28, 2009
DOL's Employment and Training Administration and the Office of Disability Employment Policy release a new report on asset development--Creating a Roadmap out of Poverty for Americans with Disabilities: A Report on the Relationship of the Employment and Training Administration's Workforce Development System and Local Asset-Building Coalitions.
This white paper is an example of ODEP's research into best practices in asset development. It focuses on three cities: Detroit, Jacksonville, and Milwaukee and the tie-in between the workforce development system and advancing self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.
[PDF version | MS Word version]
This document was developed by the National Center on Workforce and Disability/Adult. The center was based at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston and funded through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) grant number E-9-4-1-0071. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of tradenames, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Jan. 14, 2009
ODEP's Customized Employment Initiative Receives 2009 Harvard Innovations in American Government Awards Recognition
Harvard University's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation recognizes ODEP's Customized Employment initiative as noteworthy, placing it among the top 20 percent of more than 600 applicants. According to Stephen Goldsmith, Director, Innovations in American Government Awards, Harvard University's Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, ". . . this identification is the result of their belief that the program implements established best practices."
The Innovations in American Government Awards Program is a significant force in recognizing and promoting excellence and creativity in the public sector. Through its annual awards competition, the Program provides concrete evidence that government can work to improve the quality of life for citizens and that it deserves greater public trust. By highlighting exemplary models of governments’ innovative performance, the Program serves as a catalyst for continued progress in addressing the nation’s most pressing public concerns.
June 30, 2008
ODEP's Customized Employment Initiative Adopted by Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett praises the County’s Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) report on County Government Hiring of Persons with Disabilities and highlights a unique public internship program designed to create flexible work opportunities in County government for individuals with significant disabilities. The County Customized Employment Program is administered through the Montgomery Works One Stop Workforce Center, one of ODEP's Customized Employment funded intiatives. Read more.
May 23, 2008
The Business and Professional Women's Foundation (BPWF) is highlighting four of ODEP's and ODEP's funded projects' employment strategies in its Successful Workplaces Digest. The Digest, a companion to BPWF's June 2008 National Employer Summit, will showcase promising practices, great ideas, and applied research that builds diverse, equitable, and flexible workplaces. Submissions were contributed by a diverse pool of employers, researchers, and advocates. ODEP's customized employment, mentoring for youth, recruitment and retention of mature workers, self-employment, and universal design strategies targeted to employers and workforce development systems are among the four Digest strategies.