Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

Age-Appropriate Transition Assessment

• What transition assessments have been completed?
• What were the results? 

Postsecondary Goals 

• What are the student's postsecondary goals in the areas of employment, education/training, and independent living, if applicable? 

Coordinated Set of Activities

• Which activities will support the student's postsecondary goals? 
• How can vocational rehabilitation support postsecondary goals? 
• Will the student benefit from Pre-ETS? 
• Which Pre-ETS activities would be most appropriate?

Job exploration counseling will help students explore their vocational interests, learn more about in-demand industries and careers, and assess their career pathways of interest through discussion, information, and research.

Job exploration counseling may include interest assessments, job shadowing, career mentorship, interviews, or workplace tours or field trips.

Opportunities to engage in real work experiences to help students develop relevant work skills that can be provided through in-school or after-school experiences in integrated community work settings.

Work-based learning experiences may include paid and unpaid work experiences, job shadowing, career mentorship, internships (paid or unpaid), apprenticeships, volunteering, and workplace tours.

Postsecondary education counseling will provide students with an opportunity to learn more about the postsecondary settings, programs, requirements, and the skills necessary to be successful in these settings.

Postsecondary education counseling may include information about universities, community colleges, comprehensive transition programs, trade/technical schools, military, and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Workplace readiness training will help students with interpersonal and intrapersonal skills needed for being successful in the workplace.

Workplace readiness training may include decision-making, problem-solving, professionalism, attitude, conflict resolution, time management, money management, and using technology.

Self-advocacy instruction will enable students to make choices and communicate their individual needs, preferences, interests, and strengths related to education, workplace settings, and the community.

Self-advocacy instruction may include disability disclosure, setting goals, decision-making, problem-solving, self-regulation, understanding rights and responsibilities, and peer mentorship.

TransitionTN -TransitionTN is a partnership among the Tennessee Department of Education, Tennessee Department of Human Services, Vanderbilt University, and the Vanderbilt Kennedy UCEDD. The courses below are free but will require you to register and create an account before you begin. 

• An Overview of WIOA and Pre-ETS - This course will provide an overview of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) and best practices. Learn how the WIOA legislation changed the landscape of transition services.
• The Power of Early Work Experiences - This course will help you learn the importance of early work experiences for students with disabilities' employment outcomes.
• Instruction in Self-advocacy - This course will help you learn to help students speak up for themselves and communicate their needs to others. This course will provide an overview of how to integrate self-advocacy into daily living experiences.

Connecting with Employers and Families - This course will provide you with strategies for engaging families and employers in meaningful ways to 

• improve the delivery of Pre-ETS. This course will also address how to collaborate effectively with these stakeholders.
• Developing Strong Partnerships - This course will provide guidance on how to develop strong partnership in Pre-ETS.

Work-based Learning - This course will provide guidance on how to develop and support students participating in Work-based learning experiences.