Whether your teen or young adult is moving toward post secondary education or employment, Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Erin Brown has tips for a smoother transition...
In PA, planning for the transition from high school to employment and/or post-secondary education begins at age 14, however, it's never too late to start! Here are things to keep in mind when planning and implementing a transition plan.
Talk About Employment Early
Students are typically only exposed to jobs they interact with so you'll want to widen their exposure as well as discuss their interests and hobbies and how those might intersect with potential employment opportunities. Learn what positions are available within a field of interest and what educational levels are required for those fields and positions. In order to obtain services from the
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the student must have one specific job goal that they are working towards in order to determine what services they will receive.
Know Agency Timelines
There are many programs and agencies to support your student at any age but they have varying, and often inflexible, timelines. Learning what is available to and creating a timeline for when to start the process with each agency will help you avoid missing needed support.
Practice Advocacy Now
A crucial skill for your student to develop for both employment and postsecondary education is the ability to speak about their disability and support needs. Involving them in IEP meetings can afford them practice and confidence in this area which they can utilize down the road in speaking with professors, employers and more.
Practice Soft Skills
Soft skills are the skills your student will need to be successful with any job or education program. These include hygiene, dressing appropriately, professional communication, comfort in interviews, taking feedback, learning to wake up independently and on time and much more. All the things your teen, especially if they are neurodivergent, likely struggles with!
Find Employment Opportunities
Employment opportunities allow your student to experience the work setting first-hand and to learn what they do and do not like regarding tasks, setting and and which skill areas need improvement. Often learning what they don't like is even more valuable than learning what they do like. Any type of paid or unpaid work experience will be a valuable experience in determining those things.
Who Can Help
A transition counselor or consultant can work with you and your student when planning for and embarking on transition services by:
* Discussing employment goals
* Reviewing current services received by school district/agencies
* Reviewing available agencies client should be connected to
* Reviewing potential programs/services client may be interested in
* Discussing tangible goals and plans, both in the short term and plans for future years dependent on where they are in the transition/employment process
* Working with your child to come up with a schedule that will look at not only their upcoming assignments and tests but will also help prioritize what they need to be working on and introduce organizational techniques that they can use independently in future semesters or years