Work-based learning
Last updated
Work-based learning gives students real work experiences, such as job shadowing, internships or paid work, connected to what they learn in school.
Topic: Transition and adult life
In plain terms
Experiences range from career fairs and job shadows to unpaid internships, school-based enterprises and paid jobs. They help students try out careers, build work habits and get references for a resume. Research links paid work during high school with better employment after it.
How it shows up in an IEP
Work-based learning is a common transition service. Goals can measure work skills like arriving on time, following a task list or asking a supervisor for help, with data from the site supervisor.
Example
A senior interns at a veterinary clinic two afternoons a week. The supervisor rates punctuality, task completion and asking questions on a weekly checklist.
Related terms
- Pre-employment transition servicesPre-employment transition services are early career services, offered through vocational rehabilitation, for students with disabilities still in school.
- Transition servicesTransition services are coordinated activities in the IEP that help a student move from school to adult life: further education, work and independent living.
- Job coachA job coach is a person who teaches a worker with a disability the tasks and routines of a job on site, then gradually reduces support.
- Course of studyThe course of study is the multi-year list of classes and experiences in the transition IEP that leads toward the student's postsecondary goals.
- Supported employmentSupported employment is paid work in a typical workplace, with ongoing support such as a job coach, for people with significant disabilities.
On IEP Atlas
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