employU’s Youth Services provides self-advocacy training, career preparation training, and work experiences for students ages 14-22 with a disability, including those that meet eligibility for a 504 Plan or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Youth Services
Getting Started
Customers should receive a referral from Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to be eligible for services offered by employU. For Youth Services, there are two routes students can take. Through the Pre-ETS program, students can be referred to Vocational Rehabilitation by their school district for limited pre-employment services. Click here to get started with VR.
Traditional Vocational Rehabilitation Customers
Traditional Vocational Rehabilitation customers are eligible for the full range of pre-employment services including Vocational Evaluations. Traditional VR customers also have access to other VR services, such as Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs. Though the process of becoming a Traditional VR customer is a longer one than receiving services through Pre-ETS, Traditional VR customers will not experience a disruption in services once they are no longer enrolled in school. Traditional VR customers are also able to seamlessly transition into adult employment services when the time comes.
PRE-ETS PROGRAM
Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) is designed to provide students with an IEP, 504 plan, or school accommodations an early opportunity to explore potential careers and prepare for adulthood. Through Pre-ETS, students may participate in the following:
1. Job-exploration counseling
2. Postsecondary educational counseling
3. Self-advocacy training and peer mentoring
4. Work readiness training
5. Work-based learning experiences
Students with disabilities can participate in Pre-ETS without needing to apply to be a VR customer. The primary focus is on developing work skills, practicing social skills, and establishing a network of community support while the student is still enrolled in school.
Who can take part in Pre-Employment Transition Services?
Students with an IEP, 504 plan, or school accommodations aged 14-21 who are currently enrolled in school.
What do Pre-Employment Transition Services entail?
Pre-ETS encompass job exploration, workplace readiness training, work-based learning experiences, self-advocacy training, and postsecondary educational counseling.
How is Pre-ETS different from the traditional VR application process and services?
The Pre-ETS application process is a faster process than the traditional VR application process, giving students the opportunity to take advantage of our youth employment services asap. Students are eligible if they have an IEP, 504 plan, or school accommodations and do not need to have a medically diagnosed disability, as required with the traditional VR application process.
However, unlike with the traditional VR process where the applicant becomes a traditional VR customer, students aren’t eligible for all Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Pre-Ets services will discontinue once a student is no longer enrolled in school, whereas traditional customers do not experience a discontinuation of services once they are no longer enrolled in school.
Courses and Trainings
Preparing students to enter the workforce, courses and career camps give participants the tools they need to navigate transitioning into the workplace. Click here for more on our Youth Training and Courses.
Many courses are offered online and can be joined from the comfort of your own home. These services resemble our in-person services but in an interactive, virtual format. Click here for more on our Transition Youth Virtual Services.
Paid Internships & Work-Based Learning Experiences
Students can learn transferable and industry workplace skills while getting paid! These on-the-job trainings are a perfect way to discover and explore new career paths while preparing for the future ahead. For more on our Paid Work-Based Learning Experiences click here.
Career Camps
Career Camps are a week-long experience of exploration into different career fields for students to discover there are more opportunities available to them than they ever imagined!
Vocational and Psychological Evaluations
For our traditional transition clients, employU conducts interviews with the client and their parent or guardian to gain insight into their disabilities and how it impacts their daily lives. Interest inventory testing is administered to determine the client’s areas of vocational interest. The information gathered is then analyzed to:
- Determine if an On-the-Job-Training (OJT) opportunity would be a good fit for the client
- Discover which types of vocational settings and job duties would likely promote a positive outcome
- Identify reasonable accommodations, specific to the client’s unique needs
Academic testing is offered upon request to students who are rising seniors or currently enrolled in their senior year of high school to gain insight into the feasibility of future academic opportunities such as vocational/apprenticeship programs or a traditional college track. Click here for more on our Evaluations
Other Youth Programs
Project SEARCH
Project SEARCH is a collaboration between the St. Lucie Public Schools, employU, and the Cleveland Clinic where students gain experience working within the Cleveland Clinic hospital. The Project SEARCH Transition to Work program is a unique, business-led, one-year employment preparation program that takes place entirely at the workplace. Focused on positions within the medical field, total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations. The program culminates in individualized job development. This program serves high school students with disabilities who are on an Individual Education Program (IEP) and in their last year of high school eligibility.
Click here for more information.
Youth Success Stories
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