Employment Support Services

The Employment Support Services (ESS) oversees several specialized employment programs serving individuals categorized as having significant or most significant barriers to employment. This unit develops new employment services, provides technical assistance and training to contracted agencies and DRS staff statewide.

The Supported Employment Program, a specialized type of job placement for people with the most significant barriers to employment, is administered by ESS. Supported employment provides intensive, specialized onsite training and long term supports to assist individuals to find employment, learn their job tasks, and maintain successful employment.

Employment and Retention is an employment program for individuals with significant barriers to employment. This program is designed to provide individuals with short term on and off site training and supports to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment.

The Job Placement Program is an employment program intended to assist individuals requiring minimal support in finding full-time employment.

The Employment Supports Program provides employment support assessments, support services and life skills management. It may be provided to individuals with significant barriers to enhance other traditional case services.

The Jobs Program is an employment program intended to assist eligible individuals with obtaining employment. The purpose of this program is to assist individuals with meeting their basic financial needs during the provision of other DRS services prior to career placement.

ESS' Oklahoma Milestone Payment System received awards from the Ford Foundation and the Harvard School of Business, as well as other government groups, for cutting government spending, improving service delivery and increasing consumer satisfaction by linking payment for contract services to a series of checkpoints, or milestones, on the way to specific goals or outcomes, such as employment. Many states have used our milestone payment system as a model to develop their own. The Social Security Ticket to Work program, commonly referred to as Ticket Plus, is modeled after Oklahoma's Milestone Payment System.