Types of Employment 

Independent Employment - The student is hired and works with the company independently of STEP. If desired by the company, STEP can provide support by coordinating some work hours during the school day. 

Transitional Employment - The student is hired by the company with support from our job coach. In this case, the student is fully employed by the company, but their hours will be determined in conjunction with STEP to work around school schedules and transportation. Most students in this form of employment are available to work on Mondays and Thursday from approximately 9:00am to 1:00pm. (Additional hours can be arranged between the student and employer outside of school hours if desired.) 

When the student begins their position with your company, our job coach will accompany them to their first several days to ensure a strong transition. From that point forward, the job coach will check in regularly to confirm things are still going well and to provide support if needed. We love seeing students who begin working with a company through transitional employment and then continue on independently with the same company after graduating from our program!

Volunteer Employment - The student completes work for the company without being formally hired or paid. The student is still expected to be on time, professional, and thorough in their work. In place of payment, employers agree to complete a daily points sheet to evaluate the student's work and to communicate with the job coach about the student's performance. While we hope to ultimately move all students into paid employment, these volunteer employment opportunities allow our students to build critical job skills, add to their resumes, and make important connections with local employers and businesses. There are many important skills that all of us learn through our first jobs - managing a schedule, communicating with peers and supervisors, navigating situations without the clear structure and expectations of a classroom, etc. These volunteer employment opportunities give students the chance to learn those skills and benefit from those experiences while still retaining the safety net of our job coach and program.