National Summary of Pre-Employment Transition Services for Youth and Young Adults With Disabilities

Despite policy efforts to provide increased preparation and work experiences prior to school exit, individuals with disabilities continue to experience poor rates of workforce participation compared to their peers without disabilities. It has been over a decade since the passing of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, yet little is known about how the required pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) mandated by WIOA are provided across the United States. This study used descriptive statistics to construct a summary of the profiles of Pre-ETS recipients, types of service provider agencies, and differences in service provision with respect to individual-level characteristics using data from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) database. Findings indicate that work-based learning experiences are the least commonly received type of Pre-ETS, service recipients are slightly more likely to receive Pre-ETS through a vendor such as a community rehabilitation provider than from a vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency, and that approximately 42% of individuals who receive Pre-ETS go on to apply for individualized VR services. Implications for future policy, research, and practice are discussed.