A new approach to disability employment
is here: Introducing Ready, Willing and ABLE.

The California Department of Rehabilitation and the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation America are proud to announce Ready, Willing and ABLE - an exciting new mentored apprenticeship program which will help Californians with disabilities to access apprenticeship pathways and secure exciting full-time career opportunities.

Ready, Willing and ABLE represents a new approach to creating long-term employment opportunities for Californians with disabilities, leveraging the unique features of the registered apprenticeship model, to enable Californians with disabilities to prepare for, start and maintain ongoing employment.

The program began with a two-year pilot in Orange County, supporting 100 Californians to start ongoing employment as a registered apprentice in the allied healthcare sector, through partnerships with local healthcare, disability support service providers, government, industry and civic groups.

IWSI America Releases 2023 Report,
Ready, Willing and ABLE:
Why It Pays to Hire People with Disabilities

Americans with a disability are the largest underemployed and underrepresented group in the country. 1 in 4 adult Americans – 61 million people – live with a disability, and experience unemployment rates nearly double the general population.

Download IWSI America’s new report, Ready, Willing and Able, to learn how easy it is to start a disability employment program to enable Americans with disabilities to access rewarding employment opportunities.

Apprenticeship programs enable individuals to combine paid employment, formal classroom instruction, on-the-job training and a pathway to ongoing employment and a State of California and U.S. Department of Labor recognized qualification.

The Opportunity

At a time of economy-wide skills shortages, it is important that we encourage California employers to explore new skill development models to expand career options and improve employment outcomes for groups which are under represented in the workforce, especially Californians with disabilities.

The more than seven million Californians with disabilities experience employment outcomes and an employment gap which is simply unacceptable. In February 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that America’s disability employment gap was over 44%.

Only 19.1 percent of Americans with a disability werein ongoing employment, compared to 63.7 percent for persons without a disability.

Across all age and educational attainment groups, unemployment rates for persons with a disability are higher than those for persons without a disability.

Additionally, the number of young Californians living with a disability is growing: 17% of Californian youth identify as having a recognized disability.

The Solution

IWSI America have extensive experience developing and delivering healthcare sector apprenticeship programs across America and internationally.

Ready, Willing and ABLE participants will be able to access a full range of support services and benefits, including:

  • a competitive wage from day one of their job

  • CDOR vocational rehabilitation services

  • ongoing personal case-management support

  • workplace mentoring

  • a structured training plan with a clear pathway to a nationally recognized apprenticeship qualification or associate degree

  • ongoing employment opportunities after completing their registered apprenticeship

As well as improving disability employment outcomes for participating individuals and employers, Ready, Willing and ABLE will also deliver a multitude of benefits to the local organizations and communities involved.

As part of its commitment to increase the quality and quantity of employment outcomes for Californians with disabilities, the California Department of Rehabilitation is partnering with internationally renowned apprenticeship program experts from the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation America to develop and deliver the Ready, Willing and ABLE program.

“We are hopeful the Ready, Willing and ABLE program will provide a blueprint for Californian employers on how they can use the registered apprenticeship model to bridge the disability employment gap whilst also expanding the diversity and skills profile of their labor force.”

Nicholas Wyman, President

 You can be a part of the future as a job seeker or employer partner.

Please contact Alexandra Mendoza at amendoza@iwsiamerica.org or
949 685 9020
or contact us using the form below.