DVR's Pre - Employment Transition Service
DVR is tasked under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to provide Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to every student with a disability in Alaska. DVR partners with school districts, individual high schools, or individual teachers by providing funding for all the following programs:
JOBZ Club: JOBZ Clubs occur after school and use engaging activities to introduce students to "work readiness skills." DVR pays teachers to facilitate clubs in their schools." JOBZ Club is a great vehicle for teachers to prepare students for transition and also helps the teacher better connect with DVR. More on JOBZ Club
S'Cool Store: Introduces student to entrepreneurship and small business concepts. Each of the five modules moves students through the process of opening a small business pop-up. The course is designed to get students thinking about their own interests and talents and how they can use small business concepts to turn those into a livelihood. More on SCool Store
Transition Camps: DVR partners with the DEED to fund Transition Camps, contracting with a team of highly qualified special education professionals through Southeast Regional Resource Center (SERRC). The Transition Camp team travels across the state doing three to five day conferences with school districts and juvenile justice facilities. At each conference Pre-ETS activities are provided through community exploration, presentations by businesses, postsecondary education and vocational training providers that help youth develop a vision for their future. More on Transition Camps
Be a Strong Advocate : encourages students to develop their own, strong, voice. Designed for use in both rural and urban Alaska, Be a Strong Advocate teaches important skills in culturally responsive ways: Growing in Confidence; Seeing Strengths in Self and Others; Supports that Make a Difference; and Clear and Confident Communication. More on Be a Strong Advocate
PATHWAYS School to Career: DVR partners with high schools and post-secondary vocational programs across the state to offer students exposer to career pathways. Pathways projects provide Pre-ETS activities through "hand-on learning" to promote the transition from school to post-secondary education, paid employment, or self-employment through subsistence activities. More on Pathways
Summer Work Programs: DVR funds summer work programs through school districts and community agencies all over the state. Summer Work combines 145 hours of paid work with 15 hours of classroom training on work readiness skills to give students valuable work experience. More on Summer Work
TransitionAlaska.org: Virtual classroom for delivering secondary transition training to teachers and students. A joint project between DVR, DEED and SERRC in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, TransitionAlaska.org mission was to continue to bring information, resources and activities to keepthe focus on transition. More on TransitionAlaska.org
Picture Your Future: Exploring Your Transition Goals was developed as a paper/pencil transition planning workbook for students. It is relevant for both rural and urban students and provides teachers with an effective way to identify a students interests, strengths and needs for effective transition planning in the IEP. More on Picture Your Future: Exploring Your Transition Goals
Photos from Pre-Employment Transition Programs
