Expanding Work-Based Learning and Transition Opportunities: Lessons from Vermont

State vocational rehabilitation agencies and their partners across the country have been striving to better serve youth and young adults with disabilities in their transitions to adulthood. These transitions present vital opportunities to offer youth with disabilities tools to continue their education, gain necessary skills, and develop career paths to achieve independence and economic well-being.

One important strategy to improving career readiness is work-based learning, an approach that provides a student or worker with experience in a workplace. The Rehabilitation Services Administration funded five state programs to implement evidence-based practices around work-based learning in integrated settings. One program was Vermont’s Linking Learning to Careers initiative, which saw positive outcomes with a team-based approach that provided enhanced services on top of the usual services that eligible high school students typically receive from schools and vocational rehabilitation agencies.

Watch this webinar from Tuesday, August 24, 2021 to understand lessons learned from Vermont’s Linking Learning to Careers initiative that can inform how other programs enhance their transition programs. This webinar includes discussions with program leaders, transition team members, technical assistance providers, and evaluators. In the video, you will also hear from youth about their experiences in the Linking Learning to Careers program.

Speakers

• Samantha Brennon, Linking Learning to Careers, Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Laurie Cook, Linking Learning to Careers, Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Maegon Courville, Participant in Linking Learning to Careers
• Kelli Crane, Center for Transition and Career Innovation, University of Maryland
• Kathleen Feeney, Mathematica
• Brian Guy, Linking Learning to Careers, Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Todd Honeycutt, Mathematica
• Elizabeth King, Community College of Vermont
• Frank Martin, Mathematica
• Richard Tulikangas, Linking Learning to Careers, Vermont Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Resources

• Vermont’s Linking Learning to Careers Demonstration: Final Implementation Evaluation Report
• Roadmap for Change—Linking Learning to Careers Program
• Postsecondary Education Services for Students in the Vermont Linking Learning to Careers Program
• Assistive Technology Services for Youth in the Vermont Linking Learning to Careers Program