Man teaches students about employability skills.

School to Work Programs

Man teaches students about employability skills.

Who Needs School To Work Programs
aka Transition Youth Services

Young male adult stands, looking confused, in front of a bus driving off into the distance on a rural dirt road.

What happens to youth with disabilities as they transition out of the school and into the adult world? It often feels as though the school bus dropped them off and now they are lost with no direction of how to tread forward. It is a scary and real scenario many youth and parents face every day as they graduate or age out of the school system. To help our area youth navigate this unknown part of their life, we offer School to Work programming.

The Arc Big Bend proudly works with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) under the Department of Education to provide transitional services that help students with disabilities transition from a school environment to a work environment. The programs focus on career exploration, work readiness, self-advocacy, and social skills.

These services are provided, free of charge, to qualifying students who:

  • are age 15-21 and have a disability
  • have a disability that is documented by an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), a 504 Plan, or some other means
  • don’t need academic or physical accommodations in high school, but may need them later in life
  • are thinking about dropping out of high school

Arc Big Bend is equipped to offer the following VR youth programs to individuals within the communities we serve:

  • Pre-Employment Training Services
    • 20-hour program
    • 50-hour program
  • Self-Advocacy Training

The Goal of the School to Work Programs

…is to help students:

  • learn the skills needed to determine a potential career path and the steps they need to take to get there (i.e., post-secondary education, technical/vocational school, entry level position and work their way up through training and dedication)
  • gain an understanding of, and work on, social skills needed in the work place
  • learn how to self-advocate, and situations where they should self-advocate
  • learn how to search and apply for jobs, interview, and the importance of following employer rules and regulations.
  • understand what would be expected of them as an employee and how to respond to those expectations appropriately.
  • be prepared for whichever career path they choose.

The School to Work Program is one of our main focuses with VR. We believe that providing this training is an essential part of helping the youth in our community find meaningful employment and self-sufficiency.

 

How to Participate in the School to Work Program

The School to Work Program is a program provided by VR. The Arc Big Bend is a qualified service provider with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to deliver the services to the communities we serve. Interested students/families should talk with their designated school employee to be referred to VR for the programs.

 


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