OPWDD Employment Training and Supports

If you are interested in getting a job, programs provided by OPWDD  can offer an introduction to career planning or an internship that could lead to a job in a community business, with on-the-job supports once you find a job.

The programs listed below are available to anyone who receives OPWDD services, has a Care Manager and is enrolled in the Home and Community Based Services Waiver. They may be used separately or together to help you reach your goals and take part in your community.

Contact your Care Manager to take part in any of these programs.

Explore the world of work in this year-long program. Discover what types of employment or volunteer opportunities are best suited to you. Pathway to Employment is typically part-time and pairs well with your other services.  Pathway to Employment helps you identify your strong points, skills, interests and job goals.

Pathway to Employment is open to you if you need to develop a job goal, comprehensive career plan and may be:

• leaving high school
• receiving day habilitation
• enrolled in prevocational services

You can explore employment through job shadowing, community work experiences, and volunteering. You will learn how to apply for jobs and volunteer positions, prepare a resume and get ready for interviews.

We will help you find the right path for you, and we'll make sure you learn how to get to your new position. Your goal may be a job making minimum wage or more, or it may be a volunteer position.

The process centers around you. You will identify a realistic career or vocational path for yourself and develop a plan to reach your goals. Our staff will help you get there.

Success Stories

Learn about some success stories from our Pathway to Employment program. Meet four people who went through the program. Hear what they learned about job requirements and how to prepare to be a successful employee.

Brian's Road

Bolton's Byway

Tim's Trail

Darcy's Direction

If you are looking to improve your skills and try different jobs to learn what type of job you might be successful at, Community Based Prevocational Services might be right for you!

If you want to work but need extra help to get the skills to do well in the workplace, prevocational services can help you learn about the world of work and build skills that employers value. These services look at your work interests and can help you build on your strengths and face challenges in the workplace.

As part of this program, you will receive support and training about how to complete tasks, learn about and try different types of jobs, learn how to get along with coworkers, customers and supervisors, and more. The goal of Community Based Prevocational services is to help you move to employment services.

This program may be part-time or full-time. Community Based Prevocational services can also help people who are employed practice important skills outside of work or gain skills and experience in new jobs to get a better job in the future.   

The Employment Training Program can help you find a paid internship that will lead to regular employment. During the internship, your wages will be paid through the OPWDD Employment Training Program while you learn the skills needed for the job.

As an Employment Training Program participant, you will also attend classes to assist you in becoming a helpful and reliable employee. In class, you will learn skills like how to be a part of a team and be on time for work.

Employment Training Program services include job development and job coaching as well as assistance with other employability skills. The business will hire you directly if you learn to perform your job duties to meet the business’s requirements. Once you have been hired by the business, OPWDD Supported Employment services will continue to provide you with the supports you need to help you advance in your job if you choose. 

Supported Employment can provide the supports you need to maintain a paid competitive job in the community. Typically, you will transition to Supported Employment after you have received supported employment services funded through OPWDD's Employment Training Program (ETP) or by the NYS Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR), and you need limited job coaching to keep your employment. Supported Employment can also help people who want to start their own business or work for themselves, a form of self-employment.

To be eligible for these services, a person needs to be enrolled in the Home and Community Based Waiver. To enroll, discuss your employment goals with your Care Manager.

In September 2023, Governor Hochul announced that OPWDD was awarding grants to seven service provider agencies across the state to support career-specific vocational training programs for people with developmental disabilities. Working together with area businesses and educational experts, these agencies are developing vocational training programs that combine with community-based vocational experiences available through the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver. The programs operate free-of-charge and require no more than five months to complete and up to 100 hours of training provided in each class session. Classes provide industry driven instruction and hands-on learning, while offering participants opportunities to boost their job readiness and confidence and attain industry-recognized credentials to enhance their resume.

Together, the training and vocational experiences will support people with disabilities to advance their employment skills and meet the demands of today’s employers. The ultimate goal of career-specific vocational training is to increase the number of people with developmental disabilities in competitive, integrated employment. 

Career Specific Vocational Training Programs by Region