Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS): A Look at What Your Neighbors Are Doing Title: Credits: September 8, 2014

Welcome and Introductions….. Brenda Simmons, Missouri DESE-VR Bob Simpson, ED.S. – MU Pre-ETS Project Director Pat Bauer, Ed.D. – MU Pre-ETS Specialist Jodi Turnbough, Ed.S. – MU Pre-ETS Specialist

WIOA Signed into law July 22, 2014 “WIOA is designed to help job seekers access employment, education, training, and support services to succeed in the labor market and to match employers with the skilled workers they need to compete in the global economy.” WIOA is about new opportunities: for more students with disabilities for more impactful services At an earlier age WIOA is about new partnerships: That will enhance post-secondary outcomes That will better prepare youth for todays workforce WIOA Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act With the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Congress has reauthorized the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), including the Rehabilitation Act, through 2020. Commenting on the bill’s passage, President Obama stated that the bill “will help workers, including workers with disabilities, access employment, education, job driven training, and support services that give them the chance to advance their careers and secure the good jobs of the future.”

Pre-employment Transition Services 5/5/2018 More coordinated services at an earlier age with meaningful opportunities for real world work experience and training relevant to business needs leading to competitive, integrated employment There are many important aspects of the new law and it’s implementing regulations, but for this presentation we are focusing on Pre-employment Transition Services, which is a new required service for Vocational Rehabilitation. In Missouri, Pre-employment Transition Services are provided for students with disabilities who are in need of such services and are: eligible or potentially eligible for VR services 16 – 21 years of age (or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP team) currently enrolled in secondary school Pre-employment transition services are really about providing more coordinated services to those youth, especially students and youth with disabilities, at an earlier age, to ensure they have meaningful opportunities to receive the training and other services they need to achieve employment outcomes in competitive, integrated employment.

A New Partnership 5/5/2018 Pre-employment transition services is designed to be an early start at job exploration for every student with a disability that may need those services to obtain successful, competitive integrated employment. This is a big expansion of services for VR, and quite simply, VR staff capacity is limited. VR entered into a new partnership! VR has contracted with the University of Missouri, Hook Center for Educational Renewal, to provide pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities in Missouri high schools who are potentially eligible for VR services. The Hook Center Pre-Employment Transition Specialist, or Pre-ETS Specialist is now a valuable resource in Missouri for the provision of pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities.

5/5/2018 Common Foundation Ensure students with disabilities have every opportunity to maximize receipt of pre-employment transition services for as long as they need those services, prior to graduation or high school exit. Ensure Pre-ETS services supplement IDEA transition or 504 services. Ensure Pre-ETS are provided in collaboration with the school, aligned within a career pathways model, and promote competitive, integrated employment. Our partnership is built on the foundation that we will….. Ensure students with disabilities have every opportunity to maximize receipt of pre-employment transition services for as long as they need those services, prior to graduation or high school exit. Not every student will need all five of the required Pre-ETS services, but these services should be made available if they need them. Ensure Pre-ETS services supplement IDEA transition or 504 services, are provided in collaboration with the LEA, align within a career pathways model, and promote competitive, integrated employment. There is a lot in this statement, so let’s break it down a little bit. First of all, we want to make sure the services provided supplement and not supplant those transition services schools are already obligated to provide; and that services are coordinated with those services provided by the school. Second, we need to make sure the job exploration, work-based learning, and other activities within each of those five areas build upon a career pathway that has multiple on and off ramps, and help teach the student skills that align with labor market trends and business needs. Third, we need to make sure that all roads lead to competitive, integrated employment. It is important that work experiences are provided in an integrated environment in the community to the maximum extent possible.

Information Sharing Communication – Communication 5/5/2018 Information Sharing Communication – Communication Document Pre-ETS services Develop a process to share/exchange student information, and data for VR federal reporting

How We Deliver Services Regional Transition Specialists Teachers vs. Counselors Meet Schools Where They Are Never add to their plate Relationships/Friend Making Business Results Orientation – Baldridge Training

Transition Portfolio Communication – Communication 5/5/2018 Transition Portfolio Communication – Communication Document Pre-ETS services Develop a process to share/exchange student information, and data for VR federal reporting

Our Columns - WIOA Job Exploration Work Based Learning Post-secondary Counseling Work Place Readiness Self Advocacy/Peer Mentoring As you may know, in WIOA, there are five required pre-employment transition service activities. We call those five areas columns, keeping in the spirit of MU.

Data – 23 Specialists Referrals to VR = 665 (average per specialist was about 6) Student contacts (all columns) = 24,245 (Dec.-May) By columns # of profiles (job exploration) = 1983 # college and career readiness surveys (workforce readiness) = 1505 # of student-led conferences real or mock (self-advocacy) = 594 # of work-based referrals (work-based experiences) = 954 # of summer work referrals regardless of placement (work-based experiences) = 317 # of post-secondary referrals with ADA support services (post-secondary counseling) = 73

Data – 23 Specialists

What Worked Educational approach vs. case mgmt. Individualizing for schools Not adding to their load – Supporting teachers Scaling up Continuous improvement Ongoing training Relationship building Allowing innovation

Moving Forward Increasing # of Pre-ETS Specialists Expanding Students Served (Pilot Program) Guiding Questions – Are We Making A Positive Difference We have expanded our folks from 23-30. We have increased our contract with VR to include a pilot program serving students in Missouri State Schools. As we move forward, we need to keep asking ourselves the following questions that will help guide our work: Are the services we are providing helping to ensure more quality referrals to VR, increased competitive employment outcomes, and… Do youth with disabilities have more opportunities to practice and improve their workplace skills, to consider their career interests, including participation in internships and apprenticeships, and to get real world work experience. Do youth with disabilities’ have every opportunity to participate in postsecondary education that will enable them to obtain and advance in high-demand jobs and careers, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Are we increasing opportunities for greater partnerships with workforce development and career/technical education that will focus on career pathways and sector strategies to help increase employment opportunities in in-demand occupations

Bringing It Home Jody and Pat Share success stories

Closure, Reflection and Evaluation September 8, 2014