Job Coach

A professional who provides on-site support and training to help people with disabilities succeed in competitive employment settings. Job coaches assist with learning job tasks, developing workplace social skills, understanding employer expectations, and problem-solving challenges that arise on the job. In supported employment models, job coaches may work intensively with new employees during initial training, then gradually reduce their presence as the worker gains independence. While job coaching significantly improves employment outcomes for people with cognitive and developmental disabilities, the cost of providing this human support and the potential stigma of visible assistance have motivated research into technological alternatives such as prompting systems and augmented reality navigation aids.