Career opportunities are excellent in each of the three specialty areas. The need for trained Human Services workers is increasing in the state and throughout the nation.
This is due primarily to changes in the health care delivery system. Treatment services for individuals with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and chemical dependency continues to shift from an institutionally-based system to a community-based system. It is projected that these community-based service providers will need to hire trained people who can provide appropriate care.
According to the Minnesota Department of Economic Security, Human Services job growth in the state of Minnesota is expected to increase 64% by 2005.
Employment Opportunities include:
- Residential Settings (Group Homes, Halfway Houses, Wavered Homes, etc.)
- Sheltered Workshops
- Day Treatment Programs
- Community Based Employment Programs
- Detoxification Centers
- Crisis Receiving Centers
- Paraprofessionals in Public and Alternative Schools
- Leisure Time Activities
- Departments in Nursing Homes
- Adult Day Care Programs
- Adolescent Detention Centers
Earning Potential:
The earning potential varies depending on the education of the graduate, such as certificate, diploma, or degree status. In the Rochester area, starting salary on the average is between $9.00 and $12.50 an hour. Starting salary in the Metro area is higher.
Full-time and part-time opportunities are available. Most employers encourage continuing education, and provide flexible scheduling to assist employees who are interested in increasing their knowledge and competency.
Several Human Services Technicians have been hired before they graduate.
While this desirable result cannot, of course, be guaranteed, many students have had the good fortune of stepping directly from a field experience or classroom setting into the role as an employee in a human services agency.