Scottsbluff High School student Lia Selvey was adopted from China by her parents, Mark and Jill, when she was three years old. As the youngest of five siblings, she is known to be fun and happy. Her family encourages her to have new experiences where she can continue to build confidence and new skills. She participates in bowling, swimming, track, and basketball for Special Olympics.
Lia who experiences hearing loss started working with Nebraska VR in tenth grade. She started by touring the Nebraska VR Scottsbluff Service Office and the Assistive Technology Partnership as a self-advocacy activity where she learned about available services and accommodations. She attended Summer Transition Programs at Camp Scott funded through a collaboration between Nebraska VR and the Nebraska Department of Education Office of Special Education. She also participated in the Self- Advocacy Summer Grant Program with Disability Rights Nebraska. These experiences were designed to help her be successful in future employment.
Main Street Market?s Deli Department hosted a work-based learning experience in 2017 where Lia bussed tables, cleaned counters, and washed dishes. A worksite skills trainer assisted her to learn the skills required for the job, appropriate customer interactions, and what it takes to be a good employee. Over the course of the 9 weeks she was there, her duties increased and she no longer required the worksite skills trainer.
Committed to finding meaningful work and being successful after high school, she has also participated in the LifeLink Program at ESU 13. The program provides students with disabilities transition skills for employment, independent living, community involvement, and Western Nebraska Community College credits. While she was a LifeLink student, her Nebraska VR Transition Coordinator Gerry Ussery collaborated to provide meaningful Pre-Employment Transition Services activities to prepare her for employment. She is also a member of Skills USA Nebraska that provides educational experience for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship, and character development. Each taught her various transferable work readiness skills.
In 2018, she began a work-based learning experience arranged by Nebraska VR at Platte Valley Companies, a financial services business in Scottsbluff. Lia reviewed boxed checks and statements for accuracy before they were mailed. Additional tasks included placing statements in envelopes, using the postage machine, reviewing card orders for different cities, and restocking checks, envelopes, paper, deposit slips, and boxes. Bank Supervisor Kari Schaneman, who has been in Lia?s corner from the beginning, hired Lia part-time to finish the school year and she will continue to work there after graduation.
H3 Nebraska (High Wage, High Demand, High Skill)
The H3 website, http://h3.ne.gov/H3/, is dedicated to the high wage, high skill, and high demand jobs in Nebraska. The information available is useful to educators, students, and their parents while planning career paths. The Nebraska Departments of Labor, Economic Development, and Education collaborated to provide the information.
The occupations featured range from requiring long-term on-the-job training, no degree, apprenticeship, internship, some college or a higher level of education. Each occupation includes a description, requirements, entry level to experienced worker salary data, and projections for future demand.
It is important students understand the expectations of employers as they prepare to enter the world of work. We?ve asked Nebraska employers to provide some simple tips to prepare for job interview success. Whether you?re a high school student, an educator or a parent - read on.
Tip #1 Smile and talk about what you like to do. For example, do you like to talk to people, organize items or clean? Be positive about learning new skills.
Tip #2 Be prepared to discuss what hours you will be available to work and be flexible if you have reliable transportation. We can train for almost every position, but we need to count on you to be at work when scheduled.
Tip #3 Be sure to have a strong hand shake, make eye contact, and speak up. Trust people are always willing to help you learn new skills.
Susan Madsen, General Manager,
The Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel
Frequently Asked Questions from parents, students, and educators
Q: What is work-based learning?
A: Work-based learning is an educational approach or instructional methodology that uses the workplace or real work to provide students with the knowledge and the skills that will help them connect school experiences to reallife work activities and future career opportunities. These opportunities are meant to engage, motivate, and augment the learning process.
Q: What is the difference between a job coach and a worksite skills trainer?
A: A job coach is a job accommodation requested by a job seeker for the success of a job. It is usually negotiated during the job interview process after a job offer has been made. The job coach accommodation can be intensive, individualized, and disability specific. The role of the worksite skills trainer is to teach the specific skills necessary to perform the work tasks of a specific job and to provide workplace readiness training at the work-based learning experience site. The training is not intensive, individualized or disability specific.
Preparing and planning for employment while still in high school is important. After graduation, holding a job is good for overall happiness, builds confidence, and contributes to financial stability. Exploring jobs now within a student?s interests and abilities can set him or her on the path to finding a job that gives a sense of purpose. Nebraska VR Transition Services Specialists partner with schools, parents, and communities to provide opportunities to explore work that is meaningful to the individual student.
Let?s take a brief look at a few facts about work:
The Autism Center of Nebraska(ACN) is a certified developmental disabilities service provider under contract with the State of Nebraska Health & Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities. The ACN provides individualized services and supports through a variety of residential, vocational, prevocational and educational services.
Learn more at: autismcenterofnebraska.org
Individualized Education Programs or IEPs include goals relating to training, education, independent living, and employment. Goals are determined through the teamwork of the student, their parents or guardians, educators, and outside agencies. When an IEP is being developed for a student, representatives from transition service agencies can be important participants in planning for needed transition services. The school may invite agency representatives when they are likely to be responsible for providing or paying for the transition services. For example, Nebraska VR, Developmental Disabilities, and other state or community agencies may be invited to the IEP transition-planning table to assure resources and opportunities are made available.
Nebraska VR has a long history of providing transition services for youth with disabilities as they transition from school to work. We partner with parents, schools, and employers to help students prepare for the future. Transition Works, published by Nebraska VR, is intended for students with disabilities and their families, as well as educators.
Find additional resources for students at:
Nebraska VR
PO Box 949847
301 Centennial Mall South
Lincoln, NE 68509-4987
Toll Free: 877-637-3422
Learn more about Nebraska VR at: vr.nebraska.gov.
Like us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/NebraskaVR.
Follow us on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/NebraskaVR.
Nebraska VR - Where your future begins
The Pathway to Employment Video Series is designed to de-mystify the many services provided to clients and businesses while highlighting the innovation that is the culture of Nebraska VR. While certainly each story is either one of progress towards an employment goal or a client's employment goal success, they are also stories about the important role played by staff members, businesses, ATP, Easter Seals, Project SEARCH, and others. Go to: vr.nebraska.gov/videos/