Work Experience

Work Experience services allow a customer to be placed at a business or agency within the community to learn skills for long-term, competitive, integrated employment. These entities are referred to as "Work Experience sites." Work Experience services are intended to be short term (12 or fewer weeks) and part-time. Work Experience can take place in a volunteer, internship, or temporary short-term paid-work setting.

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Work Experience services are available for students or youth with disabilities and basic Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) customers and may be used to determine a customer’s eligibility for VR.

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Work Experience may assist in:

• determining if a customer is ready for competitive, integrated employment;

• evaluating if, after a change in the customer’s abilities or newly acquired vocational barriers, the customer continues to have the capacity to work in a particular field;

• exploring a customer's career options;

• developing skills to increase a customer's employability; and/or

• giving a customer additional experience related to vocational training or a degree.

Work Experience services provide an opportunity for customers to:

• learn and experience work culture;

• identify career interests;

• explore potential career goals;

• identify on-the-job support needs;

• develop employability skills and good work habits;

• gain an understanding of employer expectations;

• build self-confidence;

• develop soft and hard skills;

• gain work experience and competencies in a vocation;

• develop an understanding of the workplace; and/or

• gain the connection between working and earning.