Transitions reverses the traditional approach to disability employment services by starting with the employer. The program is designed to meet the employment needs of young people with disabilities and change the culture of the employment community. JVS works with employers to analyze targeted jobs and identify skills needed to succeed, staff then designs training that is held at employer sites to give participants necessary job-specific skills in a real workplace. The model creates strong employer partnerships to raise awareness about inclusive hiring practices and recognize young adults with disabilities as qualified candidates. JVS is so committed to this model that when the organization had to transition to remote services in March of 2020, staff quickly secured informational interviews with diverse employers and integrated these interviews into our curriculum. Fortunately, starting in October 2021 Transitions to Work returned to in-person sessions at our employer partners. Since our clients benefit greatly from in-person internships we are hoping to continue training on-site for the foreseeable future. However, during early months of the COVID pandemic JVS developed the capacity that we need to provide our Transitions to Work sessions in a virtual environment if needed in order to protect the health of our clients and staff.

JVS will run 8 sessions, enrolling 8-10 individuals each session. Sessions include 6 hours a week of in-class, training for 5 weeks. This 30-hours of training will focus on skill development in growth industries like food service, retail and hospitality, or service careers in the healthcare industry and will take place on-site at our employer partners like Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Cambridge or the CVS Health Workforce Innovation and Training Center in Boston. In addition to the five-week training program on-site at our employer partners, clients will meet an average of one time a week for one hour with their Career Coach in order to pursue, secure, sustain, and hopefully grow their careers.

The initial 1-2 weeks of classroom instruction includes orientation, onboarding, and building skills, while the sessions in weeks 2 – 5 are focused on introducing students to particular sectors of the economy like food service or retail, exploring and potentially securing an industry related credential like a ServSafe Food Handler’s credential, and participating in informational interviews with industry leaders from the sector that we are studying. Every Wednesday session focuses on workplace readiness and provides trainings on topics such as soft/life skills, customer service, and the job search including resume development and interview preparation.

After students complete their session, staff work with the graduates for up to one year to secure paid employment, provide the entry level job coaching they need to sustain the employment, and equip the client to develop a plan and pursue the ongoing education required to develop a growing career. After completing their program year, Transitions to Work Graduates also have the opportunity to participate in bi-weekly Career Readiness Skills Development trainings on Zoom that focus on additional training sessions focused on skills beneficial to the workplace, including: professional boundary setting, work-life balance, stress management, challenging job situations, and budgeting. Transitions to Work also provides additional semi-annual social engagement opportunities for our Alumni such as Trivia Nights and Movie Nights. Alumni are also invited to speak to current students to share their experiences, providing inspiration as well as a professional development opportunity.

UIF – Program Applications