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Transition Toolkit

…Prepare for Employment?


Preparing for employment can be confusing and overwhelming no matter if you are the one getting ready to start working or you are supporting an individual getting ready to work. Here you can explore resources and tools that are designed to support youth, caregivers, and professionals who are getting ready to enter the workforce.

Use this tool as an assessment to help plan for employment by looking at a person’s areas of strength while targeting and teaching towards those areas of development. This assessment tool also will highlight a person’s preferences, interests, needs and strengths.

Download the Vocational Planning Tool

The Employability/Life Skills Assessment (ELSA) is an informal assessment that can be used by professionals and family members to gather information about 24 different employability and life skills. This assessment has forms for both family members and professionals. Use this assessment to gain skill growth from year to year and to target areas still needed development.

Download the ELSA for Families

Download the ELSA for Transition Team Professionals

As teams prepare youth for the transition to adulthood, developing skills for employment becomes a priority. Educators require effective tools and resources to assist in teaching these skills. Fortunately, research has identified practices that, when implemented with fidelity, have been shown to improve skill development for transition youth. What Works for Work is a series of user friendly tools which help introduce selected evidence-based practices and how to incorporate these into academic, vocational and social education and preparation for transition youth.

Visit What Works for Work for a comprehensive guide

The State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) updated guidance in December 2019 to reflect how employment services are defined, implemented, and reimbursed, how to categorize work experiences, and how to strategically use volunteer opportunities and unpaid work options.

To learn more, read Unpaid Work Experiences, Volunteering, and Internships: What’s Allowed

The Job Seekers Guide is training about community employment. It provides step by step instructions and resources on how to get on the path to community employment and find a job that you enjoy.

Job Seekers Guide