The final report describes activities and products of a 3-year project to prepare private sector volunteers to become actively involved in special education through a networking system of industry-education partnerships. Using a trainer of trainers model, the project conducted workshops and produced a training package which includes a program…

Intended for coordinators of volunteer recruitment, the booklet examines practical issues in developing and implementing programs in which industry employees serve as volunteers in special education. Introductory material briefly addresses volunteerism in America, and considers the need for industry-education cooperation as well as advantages to…

Critical elements and best practices in school-to-work transition programs for disabled youth are identified. Noted are local factors, individual student choice, shared resources, vocational rehabilitation counselors in the schools, and school-business linkages. Best practices include individualized transition planning, community-based…

Cites documents from the ERIC collection dealing with occupational education in community colleges. Addresses the following aspects: special programs for women and the handicapped, occupational program planning and evaluation, the relationship between general education and career training, cooperative relationships between schools and industry,…

This theme issue on transitions for individuals with disabilities contains nine papers discussing transition programs and issues. "Transition Issues for the 1990s," by Michael J. Ward and William D. Halloran, discusses self-determination, school responsibility for transition, continued educational engagement of at-risk students, and service…

From 1993 to 1996, Massachusetts' Springfield Technical Community College implemented Students Creating Optimal Resources for Employment (Project SCORE) to develop a model for increasing job opportunities and career prospects of students and graduates with disabilities. The project provided individual career and academic services to students,…

The report addresses the background and accomplishments of Project Interdependence, an economic development model created to demonstrate public/private partnerships with California's youth for careers in science, the arts, recreation, and sports. A review of the project's history cites the influence of the International Year of Disabled Persons,…

Presentations at this conference included: (1) "Potential for Employment of the Handicapped," by John W. Kidd, (2) "Implementing Programs to Serve the Handicapped: Some Concerns and Considerations," by Jerry C. Olson, (3) "Labor and Industry Look at the Training and Placement of the Handicapped," by Ralph A. Peckham, (4) "Comprehensive Vocational…

A task force was created to establish a collaborative relationship among government, education, private agencies, and employers for transition services for special education students. Findings were that unemployment and underemployment were extremely high for special education graduates who lacked adequate basic, job-seeking, and work skills. Few…

Six communities engaged in planning processes to improve vocational programming for students with handicapping conditions. The collaborative efforts involved the schools, community agencies, and employers in recommending strategies for change. This report is based on a study of the six collaborative planning projects 1 year after their completion.…

Information is provided on tech prep education programs, which are part of a restructuring movement that combines secondary and postsecondary programs to provide technical preparation in a field such as engineering technology, agriculture, health, or business. Information on the following topics is outlined: seven essential elements of tech prep;…

The Black Hills Special Services Cooperative provides innovative and model practices for serving individuals with disabilities in a rural area of South Dakota. This article reviews the program's history and background, curriculum development, evaluation, and transitional and supported employment utilizing an entrepreneurial model of partnerships…

The Competitive Employment through Vocational Experience (CETVE) Project was a 2-year, federally funded model transitional program for secondary-level handicapped students. The model involved use of competitive work experience to provide severely vocationally handicapped students with a work history prior to graduation. CETVE students were…

The Vocational Education for Special Students (VESS) program, structured around local resources and community college vocational programs, makes use of local business in combination with available educational facilities and programs to provide a unique learning experience. The program is aimed at developing job-specific skills that can lead to…

The Business and Education Transition Alliance (BETA) is a model school-to-work transition program that was developed to facilitate the school-to-work transition of at-risk youth in the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado. Among the BETA program's specific goals are the following: increase students' knowledge/understanding of demands of the…