Chapter 16 - Customized Employment Services

Customized employment is an employment process that uses a flexible blend of strategies, services, supports, and funds to facilitate employment outcomes for job seekers with complex needs through negotiated employment relationships. Customized employment individualizes the employment relationship between a job seeker and an employer in ways that meet the needs of both. Employment is consistent with the individual’s strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice, as well as the identified business needs of the employer or the self-employment business chosen by the individual. (See Appendix A, “Provider Standards” of this manual for the specific qualifications required to provide this service).

The customized employment process involves three key phases:

1. Discovery

2. Job Development

3. Systematic Instruction