Annotated Bibliography: State-of-the-Science Conference Proceedings

This annotated bibliography highlights publications relevant to school and work supports for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions that were published after 2013 through early 2018. Selected publications are limited to those specifically addressing serious mental health conditions; literature related to other disability groups is not included. This bibliography is intended to supplement the Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood RRTC’s (L&W RRTC) previous State of the Science Paper (2013). We have also provided executive summaries from our 2013 State-of-the-Science Conference. To see the 2018 SoS conference proceedings please visit, https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/pib/vol16/iss8/1. To see the proceedings from the 2013 conference, please visit hhttps://umassmed.edu/TransitionsACR/publication/conferences/state_of_the_science_conference

Public Policy Platform on Flexible Work Arrangements

On May 13, 2009, Workplace Flexibility 2010 released a comprehensive set of policy solutions to expand Americans’ access to flexible work arrangements such as compressed workweeks, predictable schedules, and telecommuting. Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) alter the time and/or place that work is conducted on a regular basis - in a manner that is as manageable and predictable as possible for both employees and employers. FWAs provide: Flexibility in the scheduling of hours worked, such as alternative work schedules (e.g., non-traditional start and end times, flex time, or compressed workweeks) and arrangements regarding overtime, predictable scheduling, and shift and break schedules; Flexibility in the amount of hours worked, such as part time work, job shares, phased retirement or part year work; and Flexibility in the place of work, such as working at home, at a satellite location or at different locations

Making Social Work Work: Improving social work for vulnerable families and children without parental care around the world: A literature review

This literature review calls for families and children in developing countries to be supported in ways that are appropriate to the conditions, culture and resources available rather than through approaches to social work that are common in the west. Children living without, or at risk of losing, parental care have wide and varied needs, this paper highlights the need for more thorough assessments of appropriate approaches, functions and support needs for social workers, and suggests elements of an assessment tool to explore these issues. This paper is the first part of a longer process for developing such an assessment tool, and plans are underway to further develop and test the tool in 2012.- See more at: http://www.everychild.org.uk/resources/reports-policies/making-social-work-work#sthash.4EF6qnzc.dpu

State-of-the-Science Conference Proceedings: Improving Education, Training and Employment Outcomes for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions

The Learning and Working During the Transition to Adulthood Rehabilitation Research & Training Center (Learning & Working Center; LWC), UMass Chan Medical School, conducted a state-of-the-science conference, “Improving Education, Training and Employment Outcomes for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions.” The State-of-the-Science Conference was held during and at the end of the 31st Annual Research and Policy Conference on Child, Adolescent, and Young Adult Behavioral Health (a.k.a. The Tampa Conference) in Tampa, Florida sponsored by the University of South Florida between March 4-7, 2018. The LWC held a post-Tampa Conference “think tank” session with 28 participants to summarize the current knowledge base on the education, training, and work lives of youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions (SMHCs) and to identify future research needed to move the field forward. The proceedings herein include all conference papers and responses as well as final considerations for the future research directions in education, employment and policy and practice

Developing a Centralized Tutoring System: A Comprehensive Resource Available for Students

Peer tutoring at colleges and universities has become an essential resource in helping to enhance undergraduate students’ academic performance and persistence (Arco-Tirado, Fernández-Martin, & Fernández-Balboa, 2011), institutional retention rates (Grillo & Leist, 2013), and the academic abilities of students with learning disabilities (Troiano, Liefeld, & Trachtenberg, 2010). The Tutoring Center at Merrimack College, designed for this project, will house all peer tutors specializing in a variety of subjects, including, but not limited to: business, engineering, foreign languages, computer science, biology, and chemistry. According to Vygtosky’s (1978) learning theory, students learn most effectively and more thoroughly when working with more knowledgeable and skillful peers (Vygotsky, 1978). Therefore, to increase access to tutors, the tutors will be available through the Learning Labs, which allow students to work with a peer tutor on a drop-in basis, and they will also have appointment hours available to meet with students who seek more individualized support. This project seeks to centralize all tutors in one location and to provide greater academic services by employing tutors with more versatile academic specialties. By doing so, the tutors will become more accessible to a larger population of undergraduate students, and the academic support efforts of Merrimack College will become streamlined

Two Perspectives on the Effectiveness of an Entry-Level Community Rehabilitation Training Program: A Comparison of Student and Supervisorial Perceptions

Although a significant amount of attention has focused on the effectiveness of graduate level training programs for rehabilitation counselors, little, if any, research has been devoted to entry-level training programs for Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) personnel. To remedy this deficiency, this study first developed a survey instrument for both students and their supervisors to measure the change in skills, aptitudes, and attitudes that resulted from participation in a university sponsored training program. After administering the survey to 188 students and 20 supervisors, the perceptions of these two groups were compared and then select demographic measures were used to explain the overall variation in student responses. Results suggest that both students and supervisors believed the training to be beneficial, although students consistently rated the value of the training higher then did their supervisors, particularly in the area of aptitudes and attitudes. Demographic factors were also found to be important in explaining variation in student responses, although these regressions explained only about 10 percent of the overall variation. However, African Americans and Caucasians appear to have benefited more than Hispanic American and others, while respondents with disabilities benefited less than those without disabilities. In addition, students who both completed their survey on the Internet and received the majority of their instruction in this manner benefited more from the training than those completing both in traditional environments. Taken together, these results suggest the importance of training for entry-level CRP personnel. Furthermore, results from the regression analysis suggest that certain groups benefited more in some areas than did others, suggesting that curricular reform may be needed if all students are to benefit equally from the training

Valued social roles for people with learning disabilities

Social identity theory maintains that individuals define themselves according to their social groups, which in turn impacts self-esteem. Valued social roles are assumed to influence identity and self-concept. Being a trainer represents a valued social role for people with learning disabilities (PLD) and research suggests it impacts identity. However, there is a paucity of empirical literature explicitly exploring this relationship in learning disabled trainers. Using narrative analysis, this study explored how being a trainer impacted the lives and identities of nine PLD. Being a trainer contributed to progression and stability in participants’ lives and they positioned themselves as trainers in different positive roles (e.g. go-getter, helper). This study highlights the value of the trainer role for PLD, suggests a role for clinical psychologists in contributing to the sustainability of training organisations, and highlights a need for further research employing standardised measures, longitudinal and comparative designs

ILO survey report on the National Initiatives to Promote Quality Apprenticeships in G20 Countries

While the level of educational attainment has been rising globally in the past decades, in many countries education and training systems struggle with adapting to rapidly changing skill needs in the fast evolving labour market. The resulting skills mismatch exerts upward pressure on youth unemployment rates with young people opting for jobs that do not match their qualifications which in turn limits their salary and progression prospects. At the same time, businesses, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises, face critical skills shortages as they seek to expand. Unemployment affects youth almost three times more than adults. As such, it is crucial to implement measures to improve the employability of young people. It is in this context that the International Labour Office (ILO), with the support of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, launched the Skills that Work Project: Improving the Employability of Low and Middle-Skilled Workers in February 2017. The project aims to promote quality apprenticeships as an effective means to provide young people from diverse backgrounds with labour market relevant skills, and exposure to the work environment and a smoother transition into employment. Quality apprenticeships are known to facilitate the school-to-work transition of youth as they offer employer-led skills development opportunities that lead to nationally recognised qualifications. As a result, policymakers increasingly rely on apprenticeships to address skills mismatch and youth unemployment. In fact, the G20, L20 and B20 have committed to promote apprenticeships. In this light, we believe it is timely and helpful to take stock of good national initiatives to improve apprenticeships and make the knowledge widely available as part of our continuous efforts to support evidence-based policymaking. The project also provides support to the design and implementation of quality apprenticeship programmes by providing a concise set of key information and practical tools. It is our hope that this report contributes to the promotion of quality apprenticeships by facilitating policy discussions and enhancing our knowledge base of various initiatives that have been tested in the G20 Member States