1. Mizzou Ed Building Work Based Learning Within WIOA
Robert A. (Bob) Simpson, Ed.S. Project Director Pre-Employment Transition Services MU Hook Center for Educational Renewal 2 London Hall, Columbia, MO Phone: , Cell: , FAX Kim Gee, MS, CRC, LPC Director, Transition and Section 511 Services Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation 3024 Dupont Circle, Jefferson City, MO Phone: , Cell:
May, 17th 2017

2. Warm Up – That’s Me!
If you are a teacher in the trenches of work based learning?
If you are an agency person supporting work based learning?
If you are a parent support work based learning?
If you are ready to get this session over and go home?
Bob

3. Our Objective
Make participants aware of the INTENT of WIOA in regard to
work based learning
Help participants be aware of regulatory language in designing programs
Encourage work based learning
Bob

4. Not Our Objective
To defend the legislation or to argue it’s appropriateness
To discourage or offend
Kim

5. WIOA
July 22, 2014; PL – Emphasis on providing resources to provide pre-employment training in post-secondary counseling, work based readiness, work place experiences, self-advocacy (peer mentoring), and job exploration.
Section 511: Prohibits school age students from programming for sub-minimum sheltered employment (Rhode Island). PWD<24 must first try VR Services. Annual review of everyone earning sub-minimum wage.
Bob
Kim

6. Employment
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid. – Albert Einstein
Employment is nature’s best physician and is essential to human happiness.
Bob

7. Where Are We With Outcomes?
They were less likely to enroll in postsecondary school 55:62
They were less likely to be productively engaged in the community either through being engaged in employment, postsecondary education, or job training since leaving high school. 85:95
Young adults with disabilities were less likely to be living independently than were their same-age peers in the general population. 36:44
They were less likely to have a checking account or credit card than were their same-age peers in the general population, of whom 60:71 percent and 45:55 percent, respectively, reported to have achieved this level of financial independence.
While as likely to be employed at graduation, these numbers fall off dramatically for populations with DD.
The Post-High School Outcomes of Young Adults With Disabilities up to 6 Years After High School: Key Findings From the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)
Bob

8. Where Are We With Outcomes?
Upon leaving school students with disabilities and their families often have a difficult time accessing appropriate adult services and/or postsecondary education and training programs (p. 40).
Effective transition planning for high school students with disabilities can facilitate their success in adult life (p. 41).
Graduates with disabilities are more likely to be employed following school if (1) comprehensive vocational training is a primary component of their high school program and (2) they have a job secured at the time of graduation (p. 42).
There are insufficient partnerships between the business community and schools for the purpose of enhancing employment opportunities for students with disabilities (p. 43). and
Parent participation during high school facilitates the successful transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life (p. 44).
The Post-High School Outcomes of Young Adults With Disabilities up to 6 Years After High School: Key Findings From the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) Bob

9. Work Based Learning Defined
Supervised program sponsored by an education or training organization that links knowledge gained at the work site with a planned program of study.
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
Vary in intensity structure & scope
Bob

10. Why WB Learning?
1.Teen employment is linked to an increased chance the individual will be in the labor market in the adult years, and to increased earnings
2. Summer jobs programs for youth have been found to increase the likelihood of high school graduation, and to reduce the likelihood of subsequent involvement in crime and the juvenile justice system
Bob

11. Why WB Learning? Fosters self and career exploration
Develops positive work habits & attitudes
Helps identify abilities and strengths
Expands professional networks
Better informed for self- determination
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
Bob

12. Why WB Learning?
Has been shown to be one of the strongest predictors of adult employment success for students and youth with disabilities.
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
Bob

13. What to Look For Clear roles and responsibilities
Training plans that specify learning goals tailored to individual youth with specific outcomes connected to their learning
Opportunities for a range of work-based learning experiences.
Assessments to identify skills, interests, and support needs at the worksite;
Reinforcement of work-based learning outside of work
Appropriate academic, social, and administrative support for youth, employers, and all involved.
National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
Bob

14. WIOA
WIOA, requires that pre-employment transition services, including work-based learning experiences, be made available to students with disabilities in need of such services who are eligible or potentially eligible for VR services.
Work based learning experiences may include in-school or after school opportunities, or experiences outside the traditional school setting, that are provided in an integrated environment to the maximum extent possible.
Kim

15. VR and Work-Based Learning Experiences
In school or after school experiences
Experiences outside traditional school setting (including internships)
Provided in group or individual settings
May include competitive wages or stipends
May include multiple opportunities
Provided in INTEGRATED SETTINGS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT POSSIBLE
Bob

16. High Expectations
Experiences should be developed with the following in mind:
For all students
Competitive Integrated Employment is the goal
There is an expectation of working in the community following graduation
Develop both programs and support services around employment experiences that occur in the community
Kim

17. VR Work-Based Learning Experiences
Group
Individual
Job Shadowing
Tours with employers on the work-site
Informational interviews with employers
Mentoring opportunities in the community
Bob
Internship
Apprenticeships
Short-term employment
Fellowships
On-the-job trainings in a community setting

18. Types of Experiences
Volunteering – Volunteering refers to typical unpaid
activities with non-profit groups that are open to all citizens.
Internships – Internships are temporary positions,
either in for-profit or nonprofit organizations, with an emphasis on job-training.
Unpaid work experiences – Under certain circumstances, individuals with disabilities are permitted to work for a short period at any type of business without pay for job exploration, assessment, and training purposes.
SELN working document: Volunteering, Internships, and Unpaid Work Experiences: Legal and Practical Guidelines (2017) [PDF]
Bob

19. Important An individual with a disability must be legally
competent to freely volunteer his or her services. Per
the DOL, individuals under 18, and those over 18 who
are not their own legal guardian, cannot volunteer
without the consent of their parent or legal guardian.
SELN working document: Volunteering, Internships, and Unpaid Work Experiences: Legal and Practical Guidelines (2017) [PDF]
Bob

20. Volunteering • The activity is generally part-time.
• The activities are the kind typically associated with volunteer work rather than paid employment.
• Services are offered freely and without pressure or coercion--i.e., the person is truly volunteering.
• Regular employees have not been displaced to accommodate the volunteer.
• The individual does not receive or expect to receive any benefit (beyond the experience itself) from the organization they volunteering
Bob

21. Unpaid Internships
Distinct from volunteering, and are intended to allow an individual to gain job-related experience.
The internship, even though it occurs at the employer’s place of business, is similar to training that would be given in an educational environment.
The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern, and any benefit to the business is incidental.
The intern does not displace regular employees.
The employer derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern.
The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
Clear understanding by both the employer and individual participating in the internship that the intern is not entitled to payment of wages
SELN working document: Volunteering, Internships, and Unpaid Work Experiences: Legal and Practical Guidelines (2017) [PDF]
Bob

22. Remember
Employment afterward is NOT an expectation and Upon request, documentation will be provided to the DOL Wage and Hour Division if requested, indicating that the individual is enrolled in a community based placement program, that this enrollment is voluntary, and that there is no expectation of payment.
SELN working document: Volunteering, Internships, and Unpaid Work Experiences: Legal and Practical Guidelines (2017) [PDF]
Kim

23. Liability
Employers may have concerns over liability during the course of unpaid exploration, assessment, or training, in terms of an individual being injured or harming a piece of equipment.
Given that the DOL has been clear that an employment relationship does not exist, the individual would not be covered under the employer’s workers compensation coverage.
At the same time, it is important for the agency or school to be prepared to reassure the business regarding any potential liability concerns. This may include providing evidence of insurance coverage held by the agency or school.
SELN working document: Volunteering, Internships, and Unpaid Work Experiences: Legal and Practical Guidelines (2017) [PDF]
Bob

24. In General
Make sure that all activities are based on an individual’s skills, preferences, and interests.
Distinguish between volunteer activity, internship, or training.
Have a clear rationale for why these specific types of activities are being undertaken, and how they support an individual’s goals and plans.
Should be part of the individuals plan with careful thought about how these will lead to paid employment.
Reinforce to all participants that volunteering is not an alternative to paid employment.
Know the laws and regulations that apply to the particular situation.
SELN working document: Volunteering, Internships, and Unpaid Work Experiences: Legal and Practical Guidelines (2017) [PDF]
Kim

25. Workplace Readiness Training
Provided to assist students develop social skills and independent living skills necessary for employment.
Communication and interpersonal skills;
Financial literacy;
Job seeking skills;
Understanding employer expectations for punctuality and performance;
Practicing the employment skills (soft skills) necessary for employment.
Bob
Goes hand and hand with WBLE

26. Responsibility
Who is responsible for ensuring students with disabilities have access to work-based learning experiences?
School districts
Vocational Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation Services for the Blind
Shared responsibility
Examples:
Volunteering in the community or at school functions
On-campus job shadowing
Developing settings where students can “practice” real work behaviors (clocking in and out)
Kim

27. Examples Lot’s of great examples here at the MRA/MITT
Some examples we’ve been a part of
Groundhog Job Shadows day/week/month
Bob

28. Great Resources
SELN working document: Volunteering, Internships, and Unpaid Work Experiences: Legal and Practical Guidelines (2017) [PDF]
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT WORK-BASED LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES –
Kim