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Expand Your Team’s Capacity Through S.T.E.P.

Campus Human Resources (CHR) and Premier Living Services (PLS) are connecting UCLA departments with individuals seeking meaningful workplace experience while providing valuable support for day-to-day departmental needs.

Through the Supported Training Employment Program (S.T.E.P.), UCLA departments can provide meaningful workplace opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities, including individuals with autism, while receiving dependable support for administrative, organizational, and operational needs. Supported employment gives participants the opportunity to gain workplace experience, develop skills, build professional relationships, and contribute to the UCLA community, while departments benefit from additional support for important work that can be difficult to prioritize alongside competing responsibilities.

As part of the program, PLS also supplies job coaches to provide support to help participants learn their responsibilities, build independence, and succeed in the placement, while also serving as a resource to department staff so supervisors are not expected to take on the job-coaching role.

Limited Seed Funding Available 

To help departments establish placements and experience the benefits of the program, CHR offers limited funding to support departments based on available S.T.E.P. funding and department need.

Support That Fits Your Department

Every department has important work that keeps operations moving, filing that needs attention, records that need updating, materials that need organizing, documents that need delivering, or projects that could benefit from an additional set of hands.

Through PLS, placements can be developed around the needs of the department while considering each individual’s skills, interests, abilities, and support needs.

Depending on the department and placement, participants may assist with work such as:

  • Administrative and office support, including basic clerical tasks, copying, scanning, and document preparation
  • Data entry and records support, including updating databases, spreadsheets, directories, or other information
  • Filing and document organization, including maintaining paper and electronic records
  • Mail and courier services, including sorting, distributing, and delivering materials between on- campus locations
  • Inventory and supply organization, including organizing, labeling, counting, and restocking materials
  • Digital file organization, including organizing electronic documents and supporting basic records-management projects
  • Event and meeting preparation, including assembling materials, preparing packets, organizing supplies, and assisting with setup
  • Departmental projects and recurring tasks that can be structured into clearly defined responsibilities

These are only examples. CHR and PLS can work with participating departments to identify responsibilities that align with their operational needs and provide an appropriate opportunity for the individual being placed.

Creating Opportunity and Adding Capacity

CHR is currently looking for departments interested in exploring a PLS placement. You do not need to have a fully defined position in mind. If your team has recurring tasks, administrative needs, organizational projects, or other work that could benefit from additional support, we encourage you to start a conversation with us.

Interested in Exploring a Placement?

Contact Michael Yates at myates@chr.ucla.edu or Michael Galvan at mgalvan@premierelivingservices.com or directly at 424-209-8596 to learn more about Premier Living Services, discuss your department’s needs, and explore whether a supported placement could be a good fit for your team.

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