Regional Job Club: Job Exploration for Youth in Transition · 2018-09-10 · RJC By Regions and Teams, Grant/Harney Counties Example • Regional Job Clubs fell together by locations

Regional Job Club:

Job Exploration for

Youth in Transition

Year 2 Update & Lessons Learned

APSE, September, 2018 Lon Thornburg, Donna Lowry

Exploration for Students

• Field trips to see various work environments

• Surveys to record what their preferences interests & strengths are regarding

the topic/tour day.

• Eliminate jobs/topics that do not interest them.

• Further explore and develop work experiences with follow up visits to places

that interest them.

RJC Presentation, OSTC 2018 2

Regional Job Club Events for Year 2; 2017-18

• Union County Independent Living Fair

• Grant County Police, Fire, Emergency Services

• Umatilla County/Athena-Weston SD – Walla Walla trip/Nelson Irrigation/SEATech

• Grant/Harney RJC, Health Careers, Blue Mountain Hospital, John Day

• Umatilla/Morrow RJC, Spring Independent Living Fair, BMCC Hermiston

• Union County RJC, ODOT & Construction

• Starting 2018-19: September - Grant County – ODFW –Watershed and Fisheries Union Co. – Customer Service (Culinary and Retail)


Union County Independent Living Fair

Oct. 19, 17



Grant County RJC

Fire, Police, Emergency Services

Oct. 26, 17



Umatilla County RJC

Nelson Irrigation/Video/CNA/Construction

Nov. 17, 17




Independent Living Fair

• Description

• Video Samples


Timur Gaston - Elgin High School

Special Ed Instructor

RJC Planning Committee Member


Ashley -Senior

La Grande High School


Owen – Recent Graduate

Imbler High School


What Does RJC Provide?

• Regional Job Club provides an opportunity for isolated, rural

districts to join-up with other districts to provide a larger

community job exploration experience.

• Combining multiple schools and students allows socialization and

expanded opportunities for peer advocacy and peer mentoring.

• Student Survey Data collected from events counts as informal

assessments and informs IEP.

• Meets all levels; customize small groups with different levels.


How Did We Get Started?

• Talked to teachers, YTP Specialists, Employment First Teams about needs.

• Developed an Invitation to Participate. Sent to all Special Education

Directors in School Districts where we saw interest. Picked a few to start!

• Presented idea to some Superintendents/Principals/Special Education

Directors Regional meetings at their ESD.

• Looked at Manufacturing, Business, Services in Communities that showed

interest.


A look at our Different RJC “Teams”:


Who Helps? Almost Everyone!

• YTP Specialists and SPED Teachers/Case managers

• Parents

• VR Counselors and Assistants

• CDDP SC’s, Regional Employment Specialists (RES)

• Brokerage PA’s


Who Helps? Almost Everyone!

• Provider Agency Job Developers/Coaches

• Chamber of Commerce Directors

• Principals

• Business Owners, Civic leaders, City, County Employees

• Work Source, CIL Specialists


RJC By Regions and Teams,

Grant/Harney Counties Example

• Regional Job Clubs fell together by locations of schools in regions

• Grant County has John Day, Monument, Long Creek, Dayville, Prairie City

• Harney County/Burns SD is 60 minutes away over the mountain.

• Grant and Harney County have active Employment First teams and teachers attend.

• We began coordinating and planning at EF meetings and got John Day Chamber of Commerce involved.

• RJC’s included: John Day City Services, Food Service, Fish and Wildlife, Fire, Police, Emergency Services. Coming Soon: Silvies Ranch tour; Health careers with Blue Mountain hospital.



Umatilla/Morrow Counties Example

• Umatilla County SD’s interested were Hermiston (no YTP) and Umatilla SD ( YTP)

• Morrow County SD includes Boardman, Irrigon and Heppner (no YTP).

• We started a RJC teacher planning meeting at Hermiston HS as central location.

• We have a West Umatilla County VRC that also serves Morrow County that

supports/attends as well as other Employment First Team members. DD SC, PA’s, etc.

• RJC’s included: SAGE Center, McNary Dam, Health Careers Fair, Walmart DC, Work

Source, BMCC tours. Coming Soon – Mini RJC Trips and Spring Independent learning

Fair.RJC Presentation, OSTC 2018 21


Union/Wallowa Counties Example

• Union County SD’s interested were LaGrande, Cove, Union, Imbler, Elgin (all YTP)

• Wallowa County YTP Specialist attended/drove students down to some events.

• We started a RJC YTP specialist planning meeting in LaGrande.

• We used the Union County Employment First Team meeting to plan as well.

• RJC’s included: EOU Tour of maintenance, food, grounds work; manufacturing,

Career Fair/Sprout film fest, Independent Living Fair; Mini RJC trips; Coming Soon:

CTE Career fair collaboration; possibly ODOT/Boise Cascade Spring tour.


Year 2: Added 1 more School

District, 3 RJC’s so far, *4 more

planned this year

Hermiston/Umatilla/

Morrow County (5)

LaGrande, Cove,

Imbler, Elgin, Union,

Wallowa (6)

John Day, Burns,

Long Creek,

Monument, Dayville,

Prairie City (5)

Athena Weston (1)

Year 1: 15 School

Districts, 10 RJC’s

645 students

Two-year Total = 16

School Districts,

RJC’s = 17,*3 upcoming

this spring.

Two Years of RJC

Teams in Eastern

Oregon:

Red = year 1

Blue = year 2

(#) = Total RJC’s

in 2 years


• Customize more mini-trips based on interests of students

• Maximize online surveys and network results with teachers that attend.

• Network/share a calendar for mini-trip opportunities.

• Pull in more community partners – Build RJC name/”street credit”.

• Find better ways to use student survey data collected.

• Develop more extension activities and make available/accessible in classrooms

What We are going to Try

Next in Eastern Oregon:


Is RJC just for small rural districts?

• Regional Job Club can work anywhere.

• Was created to meet a remote/rural need.

• Large metro areas have multiple schools and can partner for field trips and

large job fair/independent living fair/health careers fair, etc. – First RJC in

Multnomah County starting Fall 2018

• Surrounding Communities – Suburbs of metro areas can join-up with nearby

towns and benefit from each other’s businesses/work sites.


RJC Delivers Pre ETS*

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre ETS)

• Job Exploration Counseling - Exposure to Work Sites & Employers

• Work-based Learning - Student Jobs/Responsibilities as volunteers with RJC

• Post-Secondary Ed Counseling – “Back-stage” Tours of Community Colleges and

Universities

• Work-place Readiness- Awareness/Training on Soft Skills

• Self- Advocacy and Peer Mentoring – Leadership volunteers in RJC

*Sell to your districts by showing what RJC Delivers:


RJC On-Site Surveys Provide “Little d”

Discovery Information


Soft Skills Identified:


Soft Skills Identified:


Environmental/Site Preferences


Environmental/Site Preferences


What We are Learning & Asking About

RJC Student Surveys Collected:

• Need to use a non-graphic, higher level survey for more mature and higher cognitive students –feedback from some was it was kind of “baby”.

• Energy is put into the event and when it is over, relax and forget to use the collected information.

• Need to find a way to get student to use them back in the classroom with a de-briefing activity.

• Surveys sit at school in folders and no one looks at again? Where do they go? What happens?

• If students attend multiple RJC events, there are multiple surveys with info to use as informal assessments for IEP data/goals.

• Are they being used as resource for IEP, ISP, CDP, IPE ?

• Make sure to collect folders with surveys and student info at end of day and keep in file box in classroom to access later.


What We Learned about Big Numbers

• Big Numbers work best for Special Events/Fairs/Large Venues – don’t use every time.

• Students get bored listening to speakers too long. Not enough hands-on.

• Get them moving around and touring.

• Combine different cognitive/functional levels in large groups.


Big Numbers

• Need good coverage with adult chaperones to be with

students.

• First year we did large groups – up to 100 with rotating

schedule – 4 stations 25 students each – got large and

unwieldy – limited where we could visit.

• Build on fellow-teachers and specialists you work with

in a team. Be a village and coordinate events/invite

each other – keep each other informed.


What We are Learning: Customize!

• Small Numbers allow

customization – Unique trips for

small groups around work themes.

Different levels as well.

• Small customized theme trips – 10-

12 students, maybe 3 schools pool

interested students and take 3 or 4

each and do a field trip day to visit

3 sites with lunch built in.


Success Story #1: Ross


Success Story #2: Ethan


Planning a RJC Day Based on

a Farm/Agriculture Theme:

• Visit D & B Supply for feed, tack, supplies – have tour and speaker on

various inventory items, vet supplies, tack, etc.

• Visit a large animal vet clinic

• Lunch

• Goat dairy in region – take tour and/or

Cattle ranch tour.


Visiting a Goat Dairy: Dallas, Oregon (Example of what we see/hear when on live tours)


Starting Your Own RJC

• It Takes a Village – don’t try a Lone Ranger Approach.

• Start with your District/YTP and do an RJC field trip

then invite other districts – show it works, then invite

others.

• Invite multiple districts by starting at an ESD Special Ed

Directors Meeting level or combining YTP programs –

show the services it delivers to sell the idea.

• Use your Employment First Team resources – do some

planning at EF meetings.


Remember:


Stretch Activity RJC Presentation, OSTC 2018 42

Find Your Region Poster and Fill-in Your

Ideas on Poster Sheet:

• #1: People to help. One or two people (name & agency) that you could begin to collaborate with to organize an event.

• #2: One or two businesses to visit.

• #3: A free meeting place/venue in hub community to host your event.

• #4: Possible Themes/Topics that fit for businesses in your region.

• #5: Print your first/last name at the bottom.


Time to Gather Back Together


RJC Manual Handout: Brief Overview


RJC Handbook Contents

• Checklist Timeline for Planning (pages 7, 8)

• Invitation to Participate Template/Sample (page 9)

• Organizer Fill-in Form to plan calendar year events (pages 10, 11)

• Event Day Planner Fill-in Form (pages 12, 13. 14)

• Pre–event letter to speakers and site-owners (page 15)

• Regional Job Club sample event flier (page 16)

• Teacher reminders – before event day text (page 17)


RJC Handbook Contents- continued

• Sign-in sheet template for attendees on event day (page 18)

• Materials list (page 19)

• Permission form (page 20)

• Student RJC Survey Form/Questionnaire & 2 extended activity forms (if wanting to do extended work in classroom after event) (pages 21-27)

• Reporter & Photographer Job Descriptions/Agreements (pages 28-30)

• Closing Comments/Summary: Debriefing Notes from 2016-17, Lessons learned (pages 31-33)


Summing it Up!

• Customize – think small, student-interest outings, “mini-trips” as well as big

events.

• Collect and use student data for stronger student-generated goals and IEP.

• Collaborate – It Takes a Village


RJC Logo Items Available!

One of our RJC High School CTE

programs has a logo print business.

They use and train our students in

the business. We use our items for

gifts and prizes. Teams bought T-

shirts to wear at events. Very

affordable. T-shirts, mugs, water

bottles. We do not profit from any

sales! To order Contact: [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

Open Questions


Documents

Regional Job Club: Job Exploration for Youth in Transition · 2018-09-10 · RJC By Regions and Teams, Grant/Harney Counties Example • Regional Job Clubs fell together by locations