Work plays a significant role in helping youth shape a successful career and a life of purpose and independence.
A job provides money for youth to buy and do the things they want. Paid work can also help youth learn new things and develop job skills while exploring their interests, creating friendships and networks, and building confidence. Help youth progress toward competitive integrated employment.
Watch this 5 minute video and learn how these young people went about finding their jobs and why employment is an important part of living their best lives.
E1MN has created curriculum for educators to use with students in the classroom to help support the learning expectations of Minnesota's Youth in Transition Framework.
The lessons in the Employment: Building Awareness curriculum can help students build their knowledge and awareness about what meaningful employment means for them, and about employment-related topics and tools they can explore as they make a plan for work. They are a great way to introduce students to the Employment learning expectation topics.
Each 20-25 minute lesson plan uses videos, discussion questions, real-life stories, tools, and activities to create an interactive and engaging learning experience for students.
Download the Employment: Building Awareness curriculum (PDF) »
More classroom curriculum: In addition to these Employment lessons, check out curriculum to support the Framework's other learning expectations »
Employment First means raising the expectation that all Minnesotans with disabilities can work, want to work, and can achieve competitive integrated employment. Each person is offered the opportunity to work and earn a competitive wage before being offered other services or supports.
By definition, competitive integrated employment:
It's important to encourage youth to think of employment as more than a job, but rather a lifelong process of career development that maximizes skills, interests, earning potential and satisfaction. In fact, youth who have paid work experience before age 18 are more likely to be employed as adults.
Work can help youth:
There are also additional benefits for youth to start work while still in school.
Career exploration
Managing the job process
Foundational skills
Advocacy and supports in employment
Dive deeper into concepts related to employment. The comprehensive work toolkit developed for professionals will introduce you to steps you can take and tools you can use to help people with disabilities make informed choices about work and reach their work goals.
Read the Hub's helpful section on work, developed for people with disabilities and their supporters. Making work part of your plan includes a youth and work page you can share with the youth you support.
Project 10's employment checklist can help youth set learning goals.
Complete the four activities in My Vault's work path to help youth assess their strengths, interests and resources, and then build a vision for what they want in a job. After each activity, discuss how to use their results throughout the process and how to advocate for what they want in a job.
Minnesota Career Information System (MCIS) is an online career planning tool supported by the Minnesota Department of Education and used by 80 percent of Minnesota high schools. MCIS includes a curriculum section for educators. A paid subscription is required for use.
Career and education explorer from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development helps youth explore careers and find related education and training programs.
My next move is a career exploration tool designed for youth to learn about careers and match their interests to career options.
O*Net career exploration tools are self-directed exploration and assessment tools to help youth consider and plan for careers. Options include an interest profiler and a work importance locator.
CareerOne Stop is a comprehensive website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide career profiles and assessments — including Get My Future, which is geared to high school youth.
Occupational outlook handbook is a labor market tool supported by the U.S. Department of Labor. The tool allows people to browse occupations by pay, growth, availability and field of degree.
