Workforce Development

This toolkit was developed to support providers in strengthening their workforce recruitment strategies by connecting with local and statewide resources that help identify and engage job seekers interested in direct care roles. While the toolkit is broadly intended to support all hiring efforts, it may be especially useful in identifying opportunities for families navigating the Parents as Paid Caregivers (PPCG) model. As families adjust to the 40 hour service limit under the updated policy, providers may consider leveraging these resources to fill critical care gaps and ensure continuity of care for members. The toolkit includes workforce pipelines, employment platforms, and state agency programs that offer valuable connections to individuals interested in serving as direct care workers.

Pipeline AZ

Pipeline AZ is an online platform that helps individuals explore career pathways and connect with employers in Arizona. Providers can create an employer profile to post jobs, access talent pools, and build a free company profile.

Services Include:

• Employer job postings
• Career exploration tools for job seekers
• Industry-aligned talent pipelines

Contact Information:

• Pipeline AZ Online Employer Sign-Up
• Email Kate Lemke - Pipeline AZ Director of Pathways Development

Arizona@Work TANF Program – EQUUS Workforce Solutions

Arizona@Work’s TANF program, administered by EQUUS, supports low-income job seekers with training, employment placement, and supportive services. This program can be a resource for providers seeking to fill direct care positions by connecting them to individuals already receiving employment services.

Services Include:

• Candidate referrals
• Resume support and job readiness services
• Support services

Contact: Eduardo Soto - Community Engagement Manager

Arizona@Work Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) supports individuals with disabilities in finding and maintaining employment. Providers may benefit from partnering with VR to tap into a pool of motivated job seekers who are prepared to work and have access to job coaching or accommodations.

Services Include:

• Pre-screened job candidates with disabilities
• Job coaching and retention support
• Employer consultation for accommodations

Contact Information:

• Vocational Rehabilitation Services website
• Email Vocational Rehabilitation Services
• Call VR at 480-673-7725

NCI - IDD State of the Workforce Survey

The National Core Indicators - Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (NCI-IDD) State of the Workforce Survey provides national data on direct support professional (DSP) recruitment and retention. While not a direct job-matching tool, providers can use this data to explore strategies other states are using to stabilize and grow the DSP workforce.

Use this to:

• Compare trends in DSP wages, turnover, and vacancy rates
• Understand workforce challenges and solutions across the country
• Inform internal recruitment and retention strategies

NCI State of the Workforce website

The following are tools and resources relevant to Workforce Development in Arizona. To share additional tools/resources or submit questions regarding workforce development, please submit them via email to [email protected].

Qualified Vendor Workforce Development Plan (WFDP) Tool Checklist

• The Division's Provider Manual Chapter 63 - Workforce Development outlines the requirements for Qualified Vendors to develop and maintain an annual Workforce Development Plan.
• The Qualified Vendor Workforce Development Plan (WFDP) tool checklist was developed to guide Qualified Vendors in the development and maintenance of their Workforce Development Plan, including required elements, suggested components, and the preferred plan outline.

AZNext Introduction to Health Analytics

• Enroll now in the AZNext Introduction to Health Analytics program offered by ASU. This course, "Making Decisions with Numbers", helps healthcare managers and staff understand data-driven decision-making. Participants will learn how to select and analyze population subsets to make accurate, informed decisions using R, a widely used open source software. The course features real-world examples from health, business, and more. It is accessible to anyone with basic math skills (no prior R experience needed). To apply, submit an online application and complete a pre-assessment to verify eligibility.

Strengthen Your Workforce with AZ Healthcare Careers

• AHCCCS has partnered with Pipeline AZ to provide holistic career planning resources to build a larger, more connected healthcare workforce through AZ Healthcare Careers. Please share and promote AZ Healthcare Careers with your networks.
• Discover a smarter way to build your healthcare workforce. AZ Healthcare Careers is your one-stop solution for finding and developing top talent. This centralized platform streamlines the process of attracting, hiring, and retaining the best candidates for your direct care roles.
• By connecting job seekers, students, education and training partners, and healthcare providers, AZ Healthcare Careers provides accessible, relevant, and realistic tools and resources to connect to meaningful healthcare roles.

Maximize your recruitment efficiency:

• Post job openings and receive matched candidate profiles
• Build a strong company page to showcase your employer brand
• Post events through the platform's events calendar
• Register multiple administrative users for enhanced collaboration
• Take advantage of guided training sessions to get the most out of the platform

Topics during these sessions include:

• How to register on Pipeline AZ
• How to add multiple company employees to your Pipeline AZ account
• How to post your job opportunities and review the candidate matches
• How to build your company page
• How to post an event to the Pipeline AZ events calendar

For more information, interested agencies can contact:

• Kate Lemke, Pipeline AZ Director of Pathways Development - 414-345-8029
• Bill Kennard, AHCCCS Healthcare Workforce Development Administrator - 602-364-4641

NADSP E-Badge Academy (Added 03/16/2023)

• The NADSP E-Badge Academy is a service offered by the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP). The NADSP is a non profit organization that works to enhance the quality of support provided to people with disabilities by promoting the development and recognition of direct support professionals (DSP’s) The NADSP E-Badge Academy is an online platform that provides DSP’s with a way to earn and display digital badges that recognizes skills and knowledge. The badges are based on the NADSP’s National Direct Support Competencies, which outline the core knowledge, skills, and values that DSPs should possess. Through the E-Badge Academy, DSP’s can complete a series of online courses and assessments to demonstrate their capability in each competency area. Once they have earned a badge for a particular skill, the user can add it to their online portfolio and share it with others as a way to showcase their expertise.

ARIZONA@WORK (added 03/16/2023)

• ARIZONA@WORK is a comprehensive workforce development program designed to connect job seekers with employment and employers with qualified workers. Their mission is to support Arizona’s economy by providing businesses with a highly trained and skilled workforce, while helping job seekers achieve their career goals. Through their network of career centers located throughout the state, they offer a range of services to job seekers. These include: job search assistance, resume and cover letter writing, counseling, and training opportunities. ARIZONA@WORK also works closely with employers to understand their workforce needs and provide personalized recruitment and training solutions. AzWorks is funded by the state and federal government and collaborates with a variety of community partners to provide a wide range of services for job seekers and employers. AzWorks is committed to building a stronger and more resilient workforce and supporting economic growth and prosperity throughout Arizona.

State Policy Strategies for Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce

• Recognizing the urgency of the crisis in direct care, states are taking action—collaborating with diverse stakeholders to tackle entrenched workforce challenges in bold, innovative ways. To leverage this historic moment, PHI has compiled 24 specific policy strategies—with concrete examples—for improving direct care job quality and stabilizing the workforce. The strategies are organized according to the eight comprehensive solutions outlined in PHI’s signature report.

Rationale for Strengthening the Paid Direct Care Workforce

• Nearly 20 million adults in the United States need assistance with self-care and other daily tasks, including about 17 million individuals living in the community, with family caregivers serving as the primary source of care and support for many. Over the remainder of their lifetime, individuals turning 65 today will need an average of 1.1 years of paid care, in addition to the care provided by family and other informal caregivers.

RAISE Act State Policy Roadmap for Family Caregivers

• The federal government alone cannot implement the Council’s recommendations; it will need to work in partnership with state and local governments and the private sector. The goal of this publication is to provide a roadmap for state officials to better understand the state policy landscape for supporting family caregivers of older adults and to identify opportunities for innovation in their own states.

Demographic Drought

• This research highlights one of the most important issues in our lives: living in a world where there are simply not enough workers to manage and grow our companies. “Hire more people” has long been an axiomatic first step to growth. How will we adapt when we can’t take the “more people” part for granted?

Promising Recruitment and Retention Strategies

• Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are the backbone and beating heart of the system of supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The size of this workforce is estimated to be 1.4 million. Across disability groups and aging services, the number grows to 4.5 million. According to the Public Homecare Institute (2018), 87% of this workforce are women, 50% are on some form of public assistance, 60% are people of color, 29% are immigrants, and the median age is 47.

Wage Compression Among Direct Support Professionals

• The profession of direct support is one of the largest occupations in the United States. The demand for this essential workforce is growing, yet the supply of direct support professionals (DSPs) is nowhere near enough to match it. The workforce crisis among DSPs is well-documented and now approaching catastrophic proportions. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not able to receive the services they are authorized, and some businesses are closing programs permanently or temporarily because of the workforce shortage.

Surgeon General's Advisory Addressing Health Worker Burnout

• The Surgeon General’s Advisory Addressing Health Worker Burnout lays out recommendations that the whole of society can take to address the factors underpinning burnout, improve health worker well-being, and strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure.