Career Planning and Employment - Services

Helping Individuals with Autism, Mental Health, and Disabilities Prepare for a Successful Career or College Experience

Fraser is an Employment First (E1MN) program that works with the State of MN Departments of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (General and Pre-Employment Transition Services) and the Department of Human Services for Home and Community-based Waiver Employment Supports. Fraser also accepts individuals that refer themselves as private pay. Fraser’s Career Planning and Employment Services support individuals with autism, mental health or diverse intellectual, emotional or physical needs prepare for success in college or a career. Through a person-centered intake process we define an individual’s strengths and needs and create a personalized path to independent, community, integrated employment from our vast service options. We can help you!

Meet & Greet Weekly on Tuesdays, 2:00 p, staff are available to meet you virtually and discuss resources to help you move forward.
Intake Staff seek to clarify the specific support needs of the individual related to their personal employment goals. A strengths-based approach identifies the individual’s interests and support needs to create a service support plan.
Profile Builder Using a person-centered approach, an individualized profile is created that can help launch a person on their chosen career path while providing them with self-affirming statements. It uses a blend of traditional guided inquiry, medical and school record review, person-centered planning tools, assessments and personal reflection that we use to create a unique profile of strengths, interests and support needs to create a path forward
Placement and Retention Fraser job placement services are for individuals who are ready for employment, but need help ﬁnding a job consistent with their strengths, resources, priorities, abilities, interests and choices. We also offer 90-day job coaching services to ensure satisfaction for clients and employers.

Employment Exploration: Person-centered planning tools are used to assist an individual in visualizing their employment goals or dreams and what is needed to obtain those goals. During this process, concerns about employment are discussed. This process is designed to help an individual make an informed choice about what employment looks like for them.
Workplace Readiness: These services teach skills needed for employment: understanding benefits, learning skills for independent living, soft skill development, job seeking, and using public transportation.

Job Exploration Counseling: Designed to guide students in exploring vocational interests; understanding labor market, in-demand industries and occupations and non-traditional employment options; and/or identify career pathways of interest.
Post-Secondary Education Counseling: These services provide hands-on support to students for proactive advocacy in the higher education world. Fraser provides tailored executive functioning supports for mastery of problem-solving skills and successful independence with the post-secondary experience.
Workplace Readiness Training: These services teach skills that students need for employment: understanding benefits, learning skills for independent living, soft skill development, job seeking, and using public transportation.
Instruction in Self-Advocacy: These services provide opportunities for learning about disability and its impact; teach skills about/ how to request accommodations, services, supports, and assistive technology; provide instruction about personal rights and responsibilities; and explore mentoring and participation in youth leadership activities opportunities.
Work Based Learning Coaching: Assist students with learning to perform tasks assigned during a work-based learning experience.
Introductory Work Activities: These services facilitate experiences for the student to understand specific jobs through informational interviews, job shadows and workplace tours.
Work Experience Services: Designed to help a student understand the nature of work and build soft skills by participating in a part-time or temporary job. Staff will assist the student in obtaining and orienting to a short-term or intermediary job related to interest.
Pre-ETS Learning Series: Designed in partnership with a school community and VRS to meet the specific needs of a school population. A Fraser Employment Specialist provides instruction using identified learning modules to teach employment skills and facilitate the transition from high school to post-secondary employment or education.

Informational Interviews: Informational Interviews provide opportunities for individuals to learn about specific work environments and identify employment preferences by spending time with the professionals who perform these jobs every day. Individuals receive feedback on necessary job skills, expectations for a particular job, expectations of work-related behaviors, and education requirements to help them make an informed decision about their employment future.
Employment Development – Plan: Staff support individuals in assessing jobs and career paths with the goal of developing a job search plan. This stage can include resume development, sample application completion and creation of an individual profile. Other areas assessed could include transportation needs or training, benefits analysis to help understand how employment affects personal benefits, and accommodation determination.
Job Shadows: Designed to provide experience about the day-to-day reality of working in a particular job or industry, this allows individuals to observe/experience different jobs and ask questions about the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to perform the tasks involved in the job.
Job Seeking Skills Training: Individualized skill instruction designed to help individuals identify and work through the barriers that prevent them from achieving their career goals. Staff support individuals to apply the skills learned to achieve career success.
Work Experience: Designed to help you test and expand your interest in a specific career field, these services provide support in finding short term jobs, apprenticeships or internships in your identified interest area.

Placement & Retention (PBA& E1MN PBA): Fraser job placement services are for individuals who are ready for employment but require assistance finding a competitive job consistent with their strengths, resources, priorities, abilities, interests and choices. This process includes 90-day support past hire date to establish stability with job.
Employment Support: Long-term support to help individuals be successful in their job. Supports provided include, communication with co-workers and supervisors, learning skills for the job, managing work schedule, reporting wages, evaluating career growth opportunities and support with on the job accommodations.
Job Coaching: Short-term supports to help establish independence in a job. Fraser professionals support individuals while they learn the job, comprehend work culture, and communicate effectively with their employer and peers. Job coaching also develops an individual’s confidence, allowing them to achieve goals. We offer a range of support from on-site coaching to occasional check-ins. Fraser staff can facilitate employer connections and trainings, while supporting individuals.
Coaching for Small Business: Individualized supports to individuals who have recently started a business or are navigating self-employment hurdles. Specific support needs are identified with the individual and their team and a business stabilization plan is developed that can include supports in establishing resources to support successful operation of a new business.
Employment Development Services, Integrated: individualized services that assist an individual seeking competitive integrated employment to develop or re-establish skills, attitudes, personal characteristics, interpersonal skills, work behaviors and functional capacities to achieve an employment outcome at a community employment setting.

Individualized Business Assistance: Individualized support to develop a business plan, whether you are just getting started, or already have a business model in mind.
Post-Secondary Supports: These services provide hands-on support to students for proactive advocacy in the higher education world. Fraser provides tailored executive functioning supports for mastery of problem-solving skills and successful independence with the post-secondary experience.
Social Coaching: Individualized to practice and improve communication and self-advocacy skills and understand non-verbal communication and body language in the community and workplace.
Navigating Driving: Individualized instruction tailored to the need of the aspiring driver. Instruction will rely on practice and repetition, using electronic practice modules, preparation and scripting, along with teaching concepts with social nuances to prepare the MN skills test.
2Ex: Explore with an Expert: These workshops allow individuals to learn skills from experts in the community and increase their career industry knowledge, personal awareness, self-advocacy, and safety.
Employment Learning Series: Fraser offers step-by-step, group instruction to prepare individuals for employment success. Each series is comprised of multiple learning modules that provide in-depth discovery and learning opportunities focused on a particular skill development area. Instruction techniques include individualization of curriculum, modeling, social coaching, reinforcement, and a safe environment to practice new skills. Series are designed to meet the individualized needs of the participants for the particular session and provide opportunities for skill demonstration. Individuals can participate in the full series or select individual modules based on individual need and preference. Series are offered at Fraser Bloomington, virtually, or in partnership with community schools or educational programs.
Benefits Coaching: Understand how your benefits work in order to help with career planning. Receive support in examining cash assistance benefits such as Social Security, federal, state and local benefits and health care benefits such as Medicare and Medical Assistance.
Independent Living Services: skill development to improve or maintain the ability to live as independently as possible. Services can include skill training and self-advocacy skill development.