Why Focus on Competencies?
In an era where funding agencies and clients served are expecting excellence in their services and high-quality outcomes, expectations of employment staff are high. Professionals in these roles must quickly learn how to handle all aspects of their jobs. While every organization in the country has thoughts about the best way to train staff, there is much variability as to the quality/quantity of training and skilled trainers available.
In order to promote best practices in the field of employment, ACRE developed a process for reviewing curriculum against competencies to ensure that training curricula be competency-based.
In order to promote best practices in the field of employment, ACRE developed a process for reviewing curriculum against competencies to ensure that training curricula be competency-based.
ACRE Competency History: How were the competencies established?
Since its beginning, ACRE's members have focused on the development of competencies in order to support the use of competency-based training. The first competencies grew out of the work done by APSE (Association of People Supporting Employment First), a national organization, who created competencies for employment providers in 2001. ACRE embraced and expanded the APSE competencies, to create ACRE's Employment Services competencies in 2004. These have been updated regularly (2013 & 2021), to keep up with policy and practice changes in the field. In 2018, ACRE released its competencies for Customized Employment. Both sets of competencies have 2 levels (Basic and Professional), in order that training can be developed for a basic level of knowledge and skill as well as a more advanced or professional level of knowledge and skill. Once finalized, these competencies allowed ACRE to develop a process for curriculum review and approval.
Find downloadable competencies below:
ACRE Competencies: Employment Services Certificates
ACRE Competencies with an Emphasis on Customized Employment (CE)
Curriculum Reviews to Ensure Competency-Based Training:
ACRE provides reviews of its members' training curricula. These review process compares content against competencies to ensure that there is adequate quantity and quality of content to ensure trainees may develop the knowledge and skills outlined in the competencies. Only ACRE-endorsed training has gone through the rigors of that process.
For a list of Training Providers with ACRE-Endorsed curriculum go to the ACRE Training tab.