If you teach a transition program and you’re responsible for finding meaningful vocational opportunities for your students, you may not know where to start.
Don’t worry, because I’m ready to help!
First off, make sure your students can get to the job site. There’s no sense in finding the best job opportunity and setting it up only to find out that getting there is not possible.
So, think about how your students will get to their job. Will they travel in a van? Can they take public transit? Will they walk? What about in poor weather? Make sure the job is reachable before you set it up.
It’s really important for us teachers to know what students like to do and what they’re good at before trying to find them a job. When you understand their interests and skills, it will be easier to find a vocation that matches them, and then things will work better.
I’ve personally found that the best way to help my students is by finding larger placements where I could group my students at internships and then branch out from there to smaller jobs that match each student’s interests or special skills.
Now you’re almost ready to discover some great job and internship opportunities for your students!
There are likely many job opportunities in your area, but you’ll need to seek out the connection.
Below, you’ll see how you can build community partnerships while looking for job opportunities.
There are so many job opportunities at colleges! Think about places like the gym, library, cafeteria, or mailroom.
My school partnered with a big university in Boston. It became our primary placement for many years where we would have some students “get their feet wet” with working.
This was a good setting for us because it was so beneficial for both our transition students and the job coaches. Everyone got to eat for free in the cafeteria before or after completing their internship that day. They also got free access to the fitness center.
What’s more, we even created a Best Buddies group where our students and college students of the same age could hang out and get to know each other.
Create flyers and share them with businesses near you. Tell them about the kinds of jobs your students can do.
Local businesses don’t know your program or that your students exist, so break the ice with this free, fully editable flyer template!
In-person meetings are better than calls! Be ready to explain what your program is about and where your students have worked before. Let them know that you have a variety of students with different skill sets, so you would only place a student at a job site if it was a great fit.
And note that some businesses might be unsure or hesitant about hiring students with disabilities. What you can do is tell them you’re willing to start with a trial period to see if it works. You can also offer them a liability release to ease some hesitation.
And if in the end, you feel like the manager does not seem like the right fit, move on. There are a lot of great people out there who would love an intern!
There are many places in the community that are always looking for volunteer help.
Examples include:
Volunteering in these places is a great way for transition students to learn new skills and give back to the community.
Don’t overlook the possibility of finding jobs right at your school! There are lots of jobs students can do on campus as well.
In addition, this can be very useful if there aren’t enough job coaches to support students off-campus every day.
You can also send out emails to colleagues to see if anyone has connections to business owners in the community. Many people might be interested!
You can also start businesses involving your students in your school. For example, you can take advantage of holidays and sell products or set up services like a Halloween candy delivery business or Valentine’s Day Delivery!
Student-run businesses are a great way for students to learn about entrepreneurship.
Unsure of what types of businesses you can run with your students? Use these ready-made templates with different business ideas to get started!
Each state has an agency that helps people find jobs.
In my state, it’s called MRC (Massachusetts Rehab Commission). I highly recommend doing a quick search online if you’re not sure what your State Voc Rehab center is called.
They can give you advice and help you find the right job for your transition students, and can sometimes connect you with job training programs, courses and more!
A Chamber of Commerce is a group that’s connected to all the businesses in your area. Give them a call and explain that you’re looking for job opportunities for your transition students.
They might be able to share your information with everyone. This way, more people will know about your program and the students you’re helping.
Good luck in finding the right jobs for your students!
Remember, finding jobs for special education students can be a bit tricky, but with patience and the right approach, you can help your students find opportunities that match their skills and interests.
Exploring what to teach your transition students, and overwhelmed by the endless ideas??
Remember that your units of focus will depend on your students’ needs; you can build your own curriculum map for the year by using this guide in conjunction with your students’ IEP goals.
You can get the Transition Roadmap Scope & Sequence here!