Youth OJT at New Lisbon High School

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Julie Mecikalski Instructional Support and Transition Specialist

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TELL ME and I forget,

TEACH ME and I may remember,

INVOLVE ME and I learn.

Benjamin Franklin

Preplanning for Youth OJT

• Junior High – Career Exploration

– Interview with student using a Functional Vocational Assessment

– Career Interest Assessments

– Career Values Assessments

– Self-Determination Assessments

– Start Portfolio

– Job Shadows / Interviews

– Follow-up annually

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Career Interest Assessments

• O*Net Career Interest Inventory

• Career Occupational Preference System (COPS) & COPS II – COPS (gr. 7-12)

– COPS II (gr. 4-12)

• Occupational Aptitude Survey and Interest Schedule – 3rd ed. (OASIS-3)

• Career Wonders

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Career Interest Assessments

• Online Assessments:

– Choices Explorer

– Educational Planner

– Career Locker

– COPSystem 3C

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Preplanning for Youth OJT (cont’d)

• Student Postsecondary Transition Plan (PTPs) at age 14

• Perform at least functional vocational assessment per year – Enderle-Severson Transition Rating

Scales (ESTR-J)

– Teacch Transition Assessment Profile (TTAP)

– Supports Intensity Scale (SIS)

– Transition Planning Inventory – 2nd ed. (TPI-2):

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Preplanning for Youth OJT (cont’d)

• HS Careers Class (junior year)

– Continue portfolios, interviews, assessments

– Focus on soft skills

– Student self-determination

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Soft Skills

• Technical writing

• Public speaking

• Communication skills on-the-job

• Problem solving

• Conflict resolution

• Self-determination / leadership skills

• Teamwork / collaboration

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Soft Skills

• Emphasize importance of :

– Attendance

– Punctuality

– Communication

– Appropriate behavior

– Responsibility

– “Show don’t tell”

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Preparing for Youth OJT

• Junior Year Transition Coordinator meeting with VR counselor

– Discuss job-related issues

• Determine student’s credit status

• What would the student like to be doing on-the-job?

• Determine if student’s interests, abilities, and values coincide with the job duties

• Transportation options

• Time availability for student

• Assistive technology needed – if necessary

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Youth OJT Team

• Student – Jacob

• Transition Coordinator/Special Educator – Julie

• School Counselor – Mark

• School-to-Work Coordinator – Ben

• Parent(s) or Guardians – Darryl and Donna

• Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor – Jackie

• Job Developer or Job Coach (if necessary) – Kristine/Michelle

• Job Supervisor – Bob

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Youth OJT Do’s

• Do develop positive relationships with the community and local businesses

• Do start preparing for job sites early such as the previous school year

• Do set up meeting time at employer’s convenience

• Do keep frequent contact / communication between DVR/HS

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Youth OJT Do’s (continued)

• Do familiarize all team members of current child labor laws

• Do be flexible (always)

• Do continue the positive community relationships – Worksites can be used in

the future

– Good gossip can be spread about how amazing our students are on the workforce and hopefully lead to other job possibilities

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Youth OJT Do’s (continued)

• Do be prepared for any obstacles or challenges that could happen during the process of placing a youth on-the-job

• Do emphasize the importance of and train students to practice using soft skills

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Youth OJT Do’s (continued)

• Do correlate with other programs such as appropriate

– Youth Apprenticeship

– Employability Skills Certificate

– Cooperative Education Skills Certificate

• Do under-promise and over-deliver

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Youth OJT Don’ts

• Don’t be demanding or pushy

• Don’t set up high expectations that cannot be fulfilled

• Don’t place students who would provide significant problems for the employer

• Don’t show frustration or argue with the employer

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Youth OJT Don’ts (continued)

• Don’t overwhelm employer with other school-to-work programs and personnel

– If the student is involved in more than one program, decide which personnel will assume specific roles so that duplication is avoided

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Youth OJT Don’ts (continued)

• Don’t expect every job site / employer will have the same procedures for youth job placement– some will be easy and some may get complicated

• Don’t plan on the student remaining on the job site if not performing to expectations

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HS Transition Coordinator’s Role Julie Mecikalski

• Consult with student, parents, administrators, school counselor, and school-to-work coordinator

• Develop and update Postsecondary Transition Plan – include Youth OJT!

• Be an active team member with DVR and a liaison with the community

• Teach soft skills – be a role model! • Provide Youth OJT students with contact info • Provide support and frequent communication

with other team members

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DVR Counselor’s Role Jackie Lenz

• Meet with school staff at the start of each school year

– Review the status of present consumers

– Schedule upcoming initial interview appointments

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DVR Counselor’s Role Jackie Lenz

• Provide counseling and guidance to students – On the job assessments – Vocational evaluations – Job development services – Youth OJT – Job coaching services – 90 days of follow along services – Rehabilitation technology assessment – Permit instruction – Behind-the-wheel training evaluation – DVR training grant

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DVR Counselor’s Role Jackie Lenz

• Foster team work environment with school staff, students/family members, and job developers

– Presentation to the New Lisbon City Council

– Rely upon school staff networking skills with community members/employers

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Job Developer’s Role Kristine Tock

• Establish relationships with employers

• Analyze tasks within the business to identify job opportunities

• Meet with students to develop a working job preparation and development plan

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Job Developer’s Role Kristine Tock

• Use all information gathered to establish a good job match between student and employer

• Support the student and the employer for as long as necessary

– Job coaching

– Task analysis

– Cultivating natural supports

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Jacob’s Role (Story)

• Participated in all the IEP meetings

• Involved in writing PTPs

• Followed all obligations from the IEP/PTP

• Met with DVR (Jackie)

• Met with (Kristine)

• Practiced learned soft skills

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Jacob’s Role (Story)

• Initial meeting with Bob

– Clothing

– Hours

– Salary

– Duties and responsibilities

– Filled out paperwork • Work permit

• W-4

• Direct deposit

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Jacob’s Role (Story)

• Initial meeting with Bob

– Tour of the City property • Workshops

• Electric shop

• Street shop

• Wastewater Treatment Facility

– Introduction to the co-workers

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Jacob’s Duties

• Stacked wood

• Swept out creamery building

• Washed windows at City Hall

• Operated street sweeper

• Snow removal

• Painted Well House 5

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• Scraped, primed, and painted picnic tables

• Flushed fire hydrants

• Picked up brush and took to the burn pile

• Deliver information to City Council members

• Clean catch masons

• Deliver street project flyers door to door residents

Jacob’s Duties

• Constructed and painted sandwich signs for Farmer’s Market

• Marked and wrote down home addresses for stump removal

• Delivered packages to resident’s

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• Folded surveys and stamped envelopes for grant application

• Basic maintenance of heavy equipment

• Patched holes in the streets with asphalt

• Turned the water on at the City Campground

Jacob’s Shadow Experiences

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• Rode in snow plow

• Helped fix plow

• Helped fix alternator

• Observed various heavy equipment vehicles

• Toured the bottom of the water tower

• Toured the Wastewater Treatment Facility

• Helped take chemical readings at the wells

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Jacob’s Parents’ Roles

• Participating in all IEP meetings and transition planning

• Complete and submit DVR application as early as possible

• Attend DVR scheduled meetings

• Team player – supporting student, school, and community agencies

• Positive outcomes for Jacob – More responsible

– More self-confident

– Takes pride in his work

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Job Supervisor’s Role Bob Anderson, Public Works Director

• Jacob’s first day

• Observations

• Adaptations – if any?

• Support networks within the company

• Jacob today

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Questions?

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