The Transition to Adulthood Should Begin Before Graduation
For students with disabilities, the move from high school to employment, college, technical training, or adult services can feel like a cliff if planning begins too late. Strong transition planning replaces uncertainty with exploration, practice, and a series of manageable next steps.
Florida students can begin connecting with Vocational Rehabilitation for Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) at age 14. These services are designed to help students identify interests, understand options, develop workplace habits, gain real-world exposure, and learn to advocate for the support they need.
Pre-ETS is not a single class or one-time career test. It is a coordinated set of experiences that helps a student move from asking, What could I do? to developing a realistic plan for education, training, and competitive integrated employment.
What Are Pre-Employment Transition Services?
Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies coordinate with schools and community partners to make five required Pre-ETS activities available to students with disabilities. Florida generally serves students ages 14 through 21 who are eligible or potentially eligible for Vocational Rehabilitation services.
Students may have an IEP, a 504 Plan, or another documented disability. A student does not need to know the exact career they want before participating. Career uncertainty is one reason these services exist.
The Five Core Pre-ETS Activities
| Service Area | What Students May Do | Why It Matters |
| Job exploration counseling | Complete interest inventories, learn about career clusters, review local labor-market information, and compare job requirements. | Turns broad interests into realistic career questions and next steps. |
| Work-based learning experiences | Participate in job shadowing, career tours, internships, volunteering, informational interviews, or supervised work experiences. | Connects classroom learning with real expectations and helps students test preferences. |
| Counseling on postsecondary options | Compare colleges, technical programs, apprenticeships, certifications, disability-access offices, and financial considerations. | Helps students choose training that matches career goals and support needs. |
| Workplace readiness training | Practice communication, teamwork, problem-solving, time management, professional behavior, transportation planning, and financial literacy. | Builds the habits employers expect and students need to keep a job. |
| Self-advocacy instruction | Learn rights and responsibilities, request accommodations, explain strengths and needs, participate in IEP or 504 meetings, and set goals. | Gives students a stronger voice in school, training, and employment settings. |
Who Can Benefit from Pre-ETS?
Pre-ETS can benefit students with many different disability profiles, including autism, ADHD, intellectual or developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, mental-health conditions, and other documented needs. The most important factor is not a specific diagnosis. It is whether the student needs structured support to prepare for education, training, or employment after high school.
- Students who have few career ideas: exploration can reveal options they have not encountered at school or at home.
- Students with a strong interest but limited experience: work-based learning can test whether the day-to-day demands are a good fit.
- Students who struggle with interviews or communication: repeated practice can build confidence and self-awareness.
- Students who need accommodations: self-advocacy training helps them describe needs and request reasonable support.
- Students unsure about college: counseling can compare degrees, certificates, apprenticeships, technical programs, and direct-entry employment.
What Pre-ETS Looks Like in Real Life
Effective transition services are active. A student might visit a healthcare workplace one week, practice a mock interview the next, and then compare certificate programs related to a career interest. Another student may focus on transportation, professional communication, and how to disclose a disability or request an accommodation.
We Care Support's Youth Pre-ETS Camps include workplace-readiness training, job shadowing, career tours, mock interviews, financial literacy, self-advocacy, and practical exposure to employers and community resources in Central Florida.
How Pre-ETS Connects with the IEP or 504 Plan
School transition planning and Pre-ETS should reinforce one another. The IEP may identify postsecondary goals, needed coursework, accommodations, agency connections, and transition services. Pre-ETS can add career exploration and real-world practice that makes those goals more concrete.
Parents can ask the school team how the student's transition assessment informs measurable goals, what work-based learning is available, how agencies are invited to participate with consent, and what skills the student still needs before graduation. Students should be encouraged to participate in or increasingly lead their own planning meetings.
Pre-ETS Is Not the Same as a Vocational Evaluation
Pre-ETS helps students explore and develop skills over time. A vocational evaluation is a more formal assessment process that may examine abilities, academic skills, work behavior, interests, endurance, transferable skills, barriers, and accommodation needs. Some students benefit from both.
A vocational evaluation may be especially useful when the team needs data to compare career options, determine training needs, clarify work capacity, or build a more individualized employment roadmap.
A Practical Timeline for Families
- Age 14-15: Explore broadly. Discuss strengths, interests, preferred environments, transportation, and early career clusters. Ask about Florida VR and Pre-ETS connections.
- Age 15-17: Add real experiences. Pursue job shadowing, volunteer work, career tours, summer programs, and workplace-readiness instruction.
- Age 16-18: Compare pathways. Review diploma requirements, technical programs, college disability services, apprenticeships, certifications, and entry-level jobs.
- Final school years: Practice independence. Build a resume, request references, practice interviews, manage schedules, understand paychecks, and identify accommodations.
- Before exit: Confirm connections. Make sure the student knows who to contact at VR, college disability services, career centers, transportation programs, and community providers.
Questions Parents Should Ask
- Has my student been referred to Florida Vocational Rehabilitation or a Pre-ETS provider?
- Which of the five required Pre-ETS activities has my student received?
- What career interests have been tested through actual experiences rather than conversation alone?
- What workplace-readiness and independent-living skills still need direct instruction?
- Can the student explain their strengths, disability-related needs, and possible accommodations?
- What is the plan if the first education or employment option does not work out?
How We Care Support Helps Students Prepare
We Care Support combines transition programming with career counseling, vocational assessment, educational advocacy, and practical skill-building. Services are individualized because two students with the same diagnosis may have very different strengths, support needs, and career goals.
Families in Orlando, Palm Beach Gardens, and West Palm Beach can explore the full range of employment services or contact We Care Support for information about current Pre-ETS programs and enrollment steps.
Build Momentum Before the Last Day of School
The best transition plan is not a document that sits in a file. It is a sequence of experiences that helps a student make informed choices, recover from mistakes, communicate needs, and move toward a meaningful adult life. Starting at 14 creates time to explore. Starting now, regardless of age, creates momentum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies for Pre-Employment Transition Services in Florida?
Florida Vocational Rehabilitation states that students with disabilities ages 14 through 21 may have the opportunity to participate in Pre-ETS. Students may be eligible or potentially eligible for VR services. Specific documentation and enrollment steps can vary, so families should contact a local VR office or qualified provider.
Does a student need an open Vocational Rehabilitation case before receiving Pre-ETS?
Not always. Pre-ETS is designed to reach students who are eligible or potentially eligible for VR, and some services may be available before a full eligibility determination. The provider or VR counselor can explain which forms, school records, or disability documentation are needed.
Do Pre-ETS replace transition services in an IEP?
No. Pre-ETS complements, rather than replaces, the school district's transition responsibilities under IDEA. The strongest planning coordinates school goals, VR resources, work-based learning, postsecondary preparation, and the student's own preferences and choices.
This article provides general educational and vocational information. Program eligibility, availability, funding, and procedures may change. Families should confirm current requirements with Florida Vocational Rehabilitation, the student’s school, and the service provider.