State-Level Organizations: Join Certification Round Tables!
Led by the Certified Employment Support Professional™ (CESP) Development Committee, we hope that by having these collaborative conversations we can continue to move Employment First forward!
Please note that this is not intended for providers or individual employment support professionals looking to learn about the credential. CESP hosts monthly Q&A sessions for this purpose!
Participants will include state-level decision-makers and representatives with:
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Intellectual Disability/Autism Services
- Mental Health/Substance Abuse Services
- University Centers on Disabilities
- Legislatures
- Governor’s Disability Council/Disability Advocate
- Managed Care Organizations (MCOs)
Expect:
- Discussion! We need you there to bring your knowledge!
- Hear from states who have implemented competency requirements for employment support professionals
- Learn from others looking to implement, or are unsure about the benefits of such requirements
- Connect with different people at each session! It won't be the same group each time.
- Resources to be shared from the national level. And states, too!
SAVE THE DATES
Registration is open now for all sessions!
We hope you can attend at least one, but as different individuals from different states will attend each conversation you may benefit from joining more than 1 session.
Click on each date to register. Registration helps us prepare and our Committee members better facilitate conversation!
Accommodations: We'll have closed captioning available through Zoom. We also ask if there are additional needs during registration.
Register in advance for each meeting by clicking on each date:
Tuesday, October 5th: 12-1:30 EST
Thursday, October 7th: 12-1:30 EST
Tuesday, October 12th: 12-1:30 EST
Tuesday, October 26th: 12-1:30 EST
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
More about State Competencies for Employment Support Professionals
Well-trained and skilled employment support professionals are key to moving the needle forward for disability employment outcomes. Some states are using the CESP credential as a tool to set benchmark requirements or provide incentives to staff who earn it.
Want to learn more about the CESP Credential? Join a session on September 15th or October 4th at 4pm EST, 3pm CST, 2pm MST, 1pm PST
Register for Wednesday, September 15th
Register for Monday, October 4th
Find some initial resources online here.
- Article: My state is considering a competency requirement. Link: https://cesp.helpscoutdocs.com/article/615-my-state-is-considering-a-competency-requirement-what-now
- Download: State Guidelines for CESP and ACRE Competency Requirements
Link: https://apse.org/apse-and-acre-state-guidelines/ - Comparison Document between Certification (CESP) and ACRE Certificates
Link: https://apse.org/acre-and-cesp-chart/
The purpose and intent of these October groups will be to bring together state agencies and funders. You each bring your experience and knowledge to this conversation, and it is needed!
We'll ask you to share out and also document your answers around:
- What are states doing for credential or competency requirements?
- Why would state agencies want to have competency requirements for employment support professionals?
- If you require credentials, what was the process like to add that requirement. What went well? What can be learned by other states?
- If you don't have requirements, what does your state need to support employment support professionals

Hear from Colorado leaders and national partners around certification and training on the APSE Podcast! Click to Listen.