2.1.4 On-Site Training
Louisiana Statewide Transition Project and Louisiana: Healthy and Ready to Work Fact Sheet Series
	11/16/99

I. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

For most young adults, employment is one of the most important and most anticipated rites of passage following high school. Employment has been said to help determine a person's worth and place in society. It can help shape a person's identity and sense of well being (Parker & Szymanski, 1996). When young adults are planning for the transition to employment, it is important to consider the full range of employment support options available. One such support option is On-Site Training (OST).

Some individuals need more assistance and training than others in order to be trained for and placed in a job. On-Site Training is one service available through Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) for people with severe disabilities who do not require on-going support (called "Extended Services"). On-site training allows the individual to work in competitive community employment with the short-term assistance of a job trainer. This service provides a level of training slightly more intensive than On-the-Job Training, but not as intense or lengthy as Supported Employment (for more information on these services, see the fact sheets 2.1.3 On-the-Job Training and 2.1.5 Supported Employment).

II. KEY POINTS

Louisiana Rehabilitation Services has guidelines established to determine which individuals are eligible for On-Site Training services. These individuals must not meet eligibility requirements for Supported Employment. In additional, there is a minimum number of hours the individual must have the ability to work and also must require a minimum number of job coaching hours to be eligible for this service. He/she also must have functional limitations of such severity that traditional, competitive employment has been difficult to achieve, interrupted, or intermittent as a result of substantial impediments to employment. The LRS counselor will discuss with the young adult any additional requirements to be eligible for OST.

Upon determination of a vocational goal and specific job needs of the young adult, the LRS counselor and young adult will write a plan of action called the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE). It shows the job-seeker's objectives in the employment process and how they are to be accomplished. The IPE outlines the needed services, who will provide them, and what funding source will be responsible for each. Second placements for On-Site Training will be funded by LRS based on applicable agency policy and procedures.

III. ROLES/NEXT STEPS

Students/Young Adults:

Young adults interested in employment should make this desire known when planning for the transition from school to employment. If young adults will need additional training time to learn a job, they should ask Local Education Agency (LEA) personnel or other members of their Individualized Education Program (IEP) team for assistance in applying for services through LRS. Young adults can discuss On-Site Training as an option with their LRS counselor. Applications for services through LRS are typically made in the final year of high school.

Young adults should begin learning work skills and gaining work experience while still in high school. Trying more than one job during the high school years can give young adults the experience needed in order to make informed choices about vocational goals.

Young adults should become aware of specific supports or accommodations that may be needed to enhance employability. While still in high school, young adults should practice identifying, requesting and utilizing accommodations. This will enable them to better advocate for themselves on the job.

Families:

Families should support their son/daughter's choice to work. Family members are an integral part of helping a young adult toward independence, and their input is vital to the adult agencies and the school system.

Families should assist young adults in identifying employment support needs. When planning for the transition to employment, families should help young adults locate and access programs available through various agencies that can facilitate successful employment outcomes NOTE: Louisiana Rehabilitation Services and the applicant/client would make this determination, not other programs.

Young adults who wish to become employed may need family support to be successful in this endeavor. Families may be called upon to help solve transportation or other barriers to employment.

Agencies:

By collaborating with Local Education Agencies (LEAs), adult agencies, such as LRS and Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD), can provide valuable information to teachers, families and young adults about the world of work. Participation in meetings during which transition to employment is discussed and/or on a local interagency transition team are excellent ways to ensure that young adults exiting LEAs and entering adult agencies come with skills needed to become employed. By making young adults, families, and LEAs aware of programs such as On-Site Training, LRS can help assure that needed services are identified and accessed in a timely manner.

LEAs should provide a variety of work experiences for young adults while in high school. By offering multiple and varied vocational experiences throughout the high school career, LEAs can help young adults increase job skills and greatly enhance the chances of becoming employed. When OST is discussed early in transition planning, timely and appropriate actions may be taken.

IV. RESOURCES/CONTACTS

The Employment Network of Louisiana, Inc.

Human Development Center, LSUHSC

1100 Florida Blvd., Building 119

New Orleans, LA 70119

1-800-597-0441

Louisiana Rehabilitation Services*

925-4131 (in Baton Rouge) or 800-737-2958

(*contact this office to get the number of the regional office nearest you.)

V. REFERENCES

Louisiana Rehabilitation Services. (1996). Louisiana Rehabilitation Services Procedures Manual. (Section 400). Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana Rehabilitation Services.

Parker, R.M. & Syzmanski, E.M. (1992). Rehabilitation Counseling: Basics and Beyond. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed Publishing.