The Career Pathways Advancement Project (CPAP) is designed for cases closed successful with Nebraska VR clients to explore and access opportunities to advance in employment. CPAP aims to upskill/backfill positions through training within the high demand industries of Architecture/Construction, Healthcare, Information Technology, Manufacturing and Transportation/Distribution/Logistics. Self-employment is not an option for advancement.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for CPAP:

• Need to have a disability.
• Interested in advancement through education/training.

Individuals who qualify must meet ONE of the following criteria:

• Case closed successful with Nebraska VR in one of the following career pathways: Architecture/Construction; Healthcare; Information Technology; Manufacturing or Transportation/Distribution/Logistics (TDL) AND wants to seek opportunities to advance within any career pathway.
• Currently employed in one of the five designated career pathways/clusters AND wants to advance within the SAME career pathway through education and/or training.  
• Interested in one of the five career pathways/clusters AND wants to advance by completing short-term trainngs to obtain multiple credentials within the SAME career pathway. Examples of certifications could include CNA, CMA, IT Certifications, etc. 
• Interested in completing one of the CPAP/Nebraska VR Certificate programs. The certificate programs are limited to the CPAP career clusters/pathways of Architecture/Construction; Healthcare; Information Technology; Manufacturing or Transportation/Distribution/Logistics. When making a referral to CPAP for a client wanting to complete a certificate program use the following process.

1. Individuals interested in one of the CPAP/Nebraska VR certificate programs can be referred to one of the CPRs by completing a CPAP referral form. Individuals should be working with more than one community agency and can be co-enrolled. Covering the cost of the certificate programs can be negotiated between the agencies in which the individuals are co-enrolled. Individuals who do not qualify for CPAP can also be referred to the CPAP/VR certificate program, however the community agency needs to cover their clients cost of attendance.

2. CPAP staff will complete the required assessments if they are a CPAP client unless the assessments have already been completed by the referring agency. If they are not a CPAP client, the agency partner making the referral to the certificate program will complete the assessments. 

Making A Referral:

Individuals interested in the CPAP program can be referred to a Career Pathway Recruiter (CPR). Individuals can make a referral by contacting the CPR and/or completing a CPAP referral form. The following are the Career Pathway Recruiters and their designated areas assigned. 

Mary Kunes-Neary – Northern and Eastern Nebraska – 402.314.1495

Crystal Norvell – Central/Western Nebraska and the Electrical Certificate Program – 308.380.2849

Zach Arter – Business Engagement and the Omaha CNA Certificate Program – 402.214.2847

Janet Drudik – CPAP Project Director – 402.484.1908

The Career Pathways Advancement Project (CPAP) is designed for cases closed successful with Nebraska VR clients to explore and access opportunities to advance in employment. CPAP is a separate program from Nebraska VR and therefore individuals can apply for both Nebraska VR and CPAP services separately. CPAP does not follow Nebraska VR Order of Selection polices. CPAP follows the VR policies and procedures as outlined in the VR Program Manual, however all polices outlined in this CPAP chapter rescind all other policies. Deviation from VR policies and procedures requires justification by the CPAP Director in a task note. 

CPAP can co-enroll clients with other community agencies (Nebraska VR, DOL, Proteus). When Nebraska VR and CPAP co-fund post-secondary and technical skills training CPAP will pay the training allowance up to unmet need and a stipend or mileage. Paying additional cost will be negotiated between CPAP, Nebraska VR and the client.

The CPAP grant provides the full range of services to assist clients in completing training and advancing within a career pathway. Advancement opportunities include:

• Work based learning, i.e. on the job training, cross training or job coaching
• Industrial Certifications
• Certifications or Diploma Programs
• Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Ph.D.

Clients are not limited by the number of credit hours they take in one semester/quarter. Training costs are paid at the following rates.

Post-Secondary/Training Cost for clients with applications completed prior to December 31, 2018. Training cost not to exceed the client’s unmet need.

• Industrial Certification/Miscellaneous Training – Cost equal to the actual cost of training in a specific area, topic, or skill not to exceed $4,752. For diploma or certificate programs not offering Federal Student Financial Aid, assistance includes the cost of tuition and required fees, books and course supplies.
• Training Programs for Diploma, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Ph.D.
  • The amount of tuition and fees will be based on the rate of the Nebraska public college or university the client will be attending. The costs of books/supplies can also be paid. The total expenditures cannot exceed unmet need on the SFAR-E.
  • If a client chooses to attend a NE private college or out-of-state college, tuition and fees are paid at that college rate or at the following NE public college rate, whichever is less. The tuition, fees and books expenditures cannot exceed the unmet need.
    • For four year programs costing above the UNL tuition/fee rates use the following link for UNL rates: https://www1.unl.edu/search/?q=2017%2F2018+student+tuition+and+fees&u=https%3A%2F%2Fstudentaccounts.unl.edu%2F
    • For diploma or two year programs – Use Northeast Community College tuition/fee rates at the following link: https://www.northeast.edu/Costs/

• If a client chooses to attend an out-of-state college and the academic program is not offered in Nebraska the tuition, fees and books can be paid at the rate for that out-of-state institution, however cannot exceed unmet need.
• A client can make a choice to attend an on-line program due to significant travel distance and/or work schedule that creates a hardship for attending in-person training. If the training is not offered through on-line coursework at a Nebraska public institution the tuition, fees and books can be paid at the rate of the institution for which the client plans to complete the on-line program or at the lowest Nebraska private college rate which offers the on-line program, whichever is less. The tuition, fees and books expenditures cannot exceed the client’s unmet need.

Post-Secondary/Training Cost for clients with applications completed after January 1, 2019 will be provided the following training allowance which includes fees, supplies and books. The funding is not to exceed unmet need.

• Post-Secondary Training – College.  Cost equal to $168 per semester hour or $86 per quarter hour.
• Post-Secondary Training – Technical. Cost equal to $68 per semester hour, or $46 per quarter hour, or $1.81 per clock hour.
• Industrial Certification/Miscellaneous Training – Cost equal to the actual cost of training in a specific area, topic, or skill not to exceed $4,752. For diploma or certificate programs not offering Federal Student Financial Aid, assistance includes the cost of tuition and required fees, books and course supplies.

Stipends or Mileage Reimbursement – All CPAP clients are eligible for either a stipend or mileage reimbursement to assist in defraying additional costs they may incur while attending a training program. A decision will be made prior to starting their training program if they will take the stipend or the mileage reimbursement.

• Mileage – Reimbursement rate is 30 cents per mile.
• Stipends
  • Clients receive an initial $250 stipend after the client attends the first day of training.
  • Industrial Certifications – Client receives an additional $250 stipend once the client completes the training and submits a copy of their certificate to the CPR.
  • Diploma, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's. Ph.D. – Grade transcripts are submitted to the CPR at the completion of each semester. For every 12 credit hours a client successfully completes toward their credential he/she receives a $375 stipend. The verification of coursework completed is identified by the grade transcripts and an overall grade point average of “C” or better.   The credit hours completed for the stipend are hours completed after the CPAP Advancement Plan was written.

Purchase of Computers - A computer or parts of a computer system (CPU, Monitor, Keyboard, Model, Printer, Basic Productivity and Antivirus Software) may be provided if needed for disability related reasons to participate in a service on the client's IPE. A computer may also be purchased if necessary to complete training. Reasons for purchasing a computer may include completing online courses, not being able to attend courses on-campus due to work schedule and/or not having access to a computer lab on a regular basis. All computer purchases need to be approved and a task note entered by CPAP Project Director, Janet Drudik prior to a computer or parts of a computer system being purchased.

The fee schedule for CPAP services, goods and supports can be found as an attachment to this chapter. 

CPAP's vision is to promote autonomy, stability, and economic self-sufficiency, achieved by assistance to obtain a single, stable, well-paying job with benefits to replace the one (or more) entry-level jobs currently held to make ends meet.

Through a combination of classroom and on-the-job training, clients earn the recognized postsecondary credentials required for advancement within a specific industry. Employers are provided access to a group of potential employees with the required and relevant skills. This project is funded by a five-year grant awarded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration in 2015.

Upskill/Backfill Model: CPAP’s goal is to upskill past successfully closed Nebraska VR clients through training and education and backfill the vacant positions they formerly held with candidates from other community partners.

Educational Advancement: The project assists individuals established in their careers to realize long-term employment goals, opens up new opportunities for entry-level workers, and meets the needs of local employers in growing industries by incentivizing advancement with paid training and stipends.

 

 

INACTIVE FORM: CPAP 2.0 Fee Schedule for Services, Goods, and Supports

INACTIVE FORM: CPAP Referral Form