College of Employment Services: What is the ACRE Course?
College of Employment Services (CES) courses have all the information learners need to feel confident, knowledgeable, and ready to work in employment services for people with disabilities.
What is ACRE?
ACRE is the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators, a national membership organization that reviews and approves competency-based training curricula. ACRE certifies our College of Employment Services (CES) courses. ACRE's mission is to advocate through education to improve the quality of employment services and employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
What is the ACRE Course?
The CES ACRE Course is a self-guided training that includes 11 CES courses plus activities and field work. Learners who complete the ACRE Course training will receive a Certificate of Achievement and be listed on the ACRE Certificate Registry.
How can my staff earn an ACRE Certificate?
Your staff must complete the 2-part ACRE Course training to earn the nationally recognized ACRE certificate:
- Part 1: Complete 11 CES courses. Pass the final quiz on each of the 11 courses with a score of 80% or higher.
- Part 2: Complete the ACRE Fieldwork Course, which contains 12–15 hours of supplemental activities accessed via an online learning platform led by ICI staff. These activities include:
- completing community-based fieldwork assignments that align with work employment professionals are already doing
- contributing to discussion forums
- analyzing and responding to realistic client scenario
After successfully completing this 2-part training series, learners will earn the nationally recognized ACRE Certificate, and their names will be added to the ACRE Certificate Registry.
What's in it for my staff?
- Comprehensive, engaging training on career development, networking, work incentives, engaging employers, and much more
- Access to training content 24/7 so they can work at their own pace
- Opportunities to practice new skills through fieldwork activities
How can I get started?
If you manage staff, you can register up to 9 staff at once for the CES ACRE Course.
If you want to register 10 or more employees for the ACRE Course, explore the College of Employment Services for Group Sales offered by Direct Course.
Can I or my staff just do the ACRE activities and field work (without taking the 11 CES courses)?
No. Learners must complete Part 1 (11 ACRE-approved CES courses) before enrolling in Part 2 (ACRE activities and fieldwork). You must complete both Part 1 & Part 2 to earn an ACRE Certificate.
If your staff has already completed Part 1, they can enroll and take Part 2.
What is included in the ACRE Course?
11-course ACRE Course + Field Work: $550
- Foundations of Employment Services
- Principles of Career Development
- Strategies for Job Development: Part 1
- Strategies for Job Development: Part 2
- Business Perspectives
- Performance Coaching and Support
- Using Work Incentives Toward Self-Sufficiency
- Funding
- Ticket to Work
- Networking
- Job Creation
Can my staff take CES courses without the ACRE fieldwork?
Yes. You can purchase different CES course bundles. Learn more about our CES courses.
- Staff cannot take Part 2 of the ACRE Course by itself without having completed Part 1
- Your staff must take the ACRE Course + Fieldwork to earn an ACRE Certificate
How long do my staff have to complete the ACRE Course?
Learners have 6 months to complete the CES ACRE Course, which includes all courses, activities, field work, and webinars. After 6 months, the learner will no longer have access to the course materials. Learners must monitor their time and complete the tasks in this time frame.
If you have any questions about the ACRE Course, email Lara Enein at lara.enein@umb.edu.