Transition Services

Key Benefits

• Eligible students will be paired with a Cowlitz County-contracted Job Coach who will observe them in various settings—including school, the community, and work-based learning environments—while also engaging with school staff, peers, and family members. These observations will inform a personalized Job Foundation Report that highlights the student’s unique skills, abilities, interests, and support needs, serving as a roadmap for their path to employment.
• Students will be connected with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and will have access to experts and resources—such as assistive technology and technical assistance—to help improve their employment outcomes.
• Enhanced coordination between a variety of partners maximizes the specialties of each partner and provides continuity across service systems as the student prepares to exit school and move to adult services. 

Eligibility

Developmental Disabilities Community Services (DDCS) eligible students aged 19-20 attending school in Cowlitz County are eligible for Job Foundation.

Application and Documents

For best results, please download the application and open it in a PDF viewer (e.g., Foxit or Adobe Reader) before filling it out.

*Completion of the application includes selecting an Employment Services Provider from the list below.

Selection Process - Questions to Ask Employment Services Providers

Employment Services Provider Information

1. Compass Career Solutions

Compass Career Solutions' mission is to “Provide personalized services that enrich people’s lives,” and our vision is to “Be the service provider of choice”. This means we strive to be responsive and exceed our customers’ expectations. With a team of highly trained professionals, our focus is on helping individuals find and maintain jobs and housing that aligns with their preferences, interests, and abilities.

Compass is a current partner and service provider through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and has been providing employment services in the Cowlitz County area for over 15 years. 

2. Life Works

For over 40 years, Life Works has been instrumental in integrating the lives of those experiencing developmental and/or intellectual disabilities throughout the Cowlitz County area. Life Works Vocational Program is excited to start the integration-to-work-early program by assisting students who are getting close to the age of phasing out of the school-based programs and into a work environment by incorporating Job Foundation. Our Vocational Program has over a 78% client employment success rate. 

Life Works Vocational Services bridge the gap by assisting students with workplace readiness training, self-advocacy, job exploration, individualized support assistance, and many other important aspects for successful employment. As a local non-profit, we work closely with the students and their families who are experiencing developmental and/or intellectual disabilities to ensure that their transition from school into the work environment is as smooth as possible.

3. Employers Overload

Employers Overload has been providing individualized job development, employment supports, and job coaching for more than 30 years in Clark County and has recently expanded to Cowlitz County.  Employers Overload staff have experience working with students in Clark County who have completed Job Foundation. 

Employers Overload’s goal through Job Foundation is to help identify and develop the student’s skills, interests and attributes to obtain paid employment by the end of the student’s school career.  Employers Overload will provide community-based work experiences so the student can experience different employment options.  Employers Overload will help connect the student to resources to support the transition from school to work including transportation services and applying to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Did You Know?

The process of transitioning from school to adulthood necessitates early consideration within a student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) no later than their 16th birthday, and potentially even earlier if deemed appropriate.

In addition, it's imperative that, upon turning 18, students promptly assess their eligibility for Social Security Income (SSI). Regardless of prior outcomes, whether they were denied benefits or received them prior to reaching 18, this evaluation is indispensable.

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) provides valuable short-term employment support options, accessible both before and after the age of 22. These short-term services remain available well beyond an individual's 22nd birthday.