Purpose

WBLEs provide students the opportunity to practice what they've learned in the classroom on an actual job site with real-world work expectations. WBLEs may be on the school campus or off campus during after-school hours. They may be paid or unpaid.

The experiences may begin with opportunities to observe work and progressively advance to more interactive, hands-on experiences. WBLEs may include:

• Job Site Tours
• Job Shadowing
• Informational Interviews
• Paid Internships and Non-paid Internships*
• Paid Work Experience and Non-paid Work Experience*
• Volunteering

Some may question the difference between an internship and a work experience. In the former, the student may learn job-specific work skills necessary for a particular profession. In the latter, the student may perform general work and practice general work behaviors common to all jobs (e.g., soft skills).

Counselor Role: Match Maker

When coordinating WBLEs, counselors must be mindful of a student's interests and abilities and do their best to develop work experiences that match those attributes. While this is not easy, it is essential since a student's enthusiasm for work relies on a compatible match, just as it does for any of us. Similarly, VR professionals need to be mindful of employers' business needs and match them with young workers whose contributions can best fulfill those needs.

Supporting Evidence

• Job shadowing provides students with meaningful opportunities to learn first-hand about real-world work opportunities by shadowing employees at their worksites (Arrington, 2000; Lozada, 2001; Cease-Cook et al., 2015; Junior Achievement, 2010). GP-2

• A survey on job shadowing conducted by the Junior Achievement Job Shadowing Initiative (2010) reported that approximately 88-98% of students felt that engaging in job shadowing activities helped them become more aware of career options and recognize the role of educational attainment in pursuing career goals. GP-2

• Holding one or more paid jobs during high school is among the strongest predictors of post-school employment success for young adults with disabilities (Test, D. W., Mazzotti, V. L., Mustian, A. L., Fowler, C. H., Kortering, L, & Kohler, P., 2009)

• In particular, studies show that active participation in WBLEs during high school can significantly improve employment outcomes for youth at risk of dropping out of high school (Bloom, 2010). In addition, studies highlight that active participation in WBLEs by youth with disabilities is particularly a key predictor of their adult employment success in competitive, integrated employment opportunities (Mazzotti, Test, & Mustian, 2012; Luecking, 2009; Luecking & Luecking, 2013; Stodden, Dowrick, Gilmore & Galloway, 2001). GP-2