STEP For Schools - Stand Up, Inc.

What is STEP?

STEP (Student Transition Employment Program) is a partnership between Stand Up Inc., local city or county high schools, and community businesses.

It is designed to aid participants in learning the necessary skills to become successful in a competitive workplace environment.

Through various classroom and hands-on learning experiences, the students will leave the program having learned valuable social skills, interpersonal communication skills, work ethics, safety training, and many other concepts related to the workforce.

How it works:

Students begin each quarter with a one week instructional period, in which they will study and be tested on specific topics, ranging from communication in the workplace to resume building.

Following this classroom time, the students then disperse into the community job sites for an eight week “on the job training” session. While on site, students will learn actual jobs and skill sets, and work in these environments just as an actual employee would. Throughout the school year students can participate in up to 4 different job sites within the community.

A job coach will be on site with the students at all times, to aid in skill acquisition and monitor their progress. Following the eight week session, students will come back to the classroom for one week, to share their work experiences and review what they learned that quarter. All students will follow the rules and regulations of the job sites, just as any paid employee would be expected to do.

This program is scheduled based on the school’s calendar. This program can be tailored to fit the schools needs while providing valuable resources for the students.

Benefits of the program:

Students are evaluated with weekly case notes that are created based on their IEP goals and task analysis goals.
Students gain work experience in the top employment fields.
Upon completion of the program students will obtain work references and a resume to assist them when they transition from school to the working world.
Students will gain ‘soft skills’ to prepare them for situations that often arise in the workplace.
Students and parents will gain knowledge of services available after school and be given resources to aide in transitioning from school to work.
Students have the opportunity to learn areas of career interest
Students will be provided with a person centered program that will fit each student’s individual needs and abilities.

To learn more about the STEP Program contact, Kelly Reichard, Executive Director and Director of Transition Services, at (434) 316-7140 or by email at [email protected]. To learn more about Stand Up, Inc. go to www.StandUp-Inc.com or email us at [email protected]