Hawaii DVR Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

Pre-Employment Transition Services are the most underused resource in Hawaii special education transition planning. They are free, available starting at age 14, do not require a formal vocational rehabilitation application, and provide the kind of real-world career exposure that no IEP goal alone can deliver. Yet many families never hear about them until their child is 17 or 18 — if they hear about them at all.

Pre-ETS is administered by the Hawaii Department of Human Services, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), and funded through a mandatory 15% set-aside from the federal vocational rehabilitation grant under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). That dedicated funding stream means Pre-ETS access is not affected by DVR's Order of Selection waitlist for adult services.

Who Is Eligible

Any student with a disability between the ages of 14 and 21 who is enrolled in an educational program qualifies as a "potentially eligible" student for Pre-ETS. The student does not need to apply for full VR services. They do not need a formal eligibility determination. They need a referral and parental consent (or student consent if 18 or older).

This broad eligibility is intentional. Pre-ETS is exploratory — designed to expose students to career possibilities and workplace skills before they commit to a specific employment plan.

The Five Core Services

Under WIOA, Pre-ETS includes five specific service categories. Hawaii DVR delivers these through school partnerships, community rehabilitation providers, and summer programs.

Job exploration counseling — Career interest inventories, job shadowing, and informational interviews with local employers. Students learn what different jobs look like in practice, not just on paper.

Work-based learning experiences — Supervised internships, job trials, and workplace rotations. These may be paid or unpaid depending on the arrangement. The JUMPSTART program and HIDOE-DVR work-study initiatives are common delivery channels.

Counseling on postsecondary education — Guidance on college options, trade programs, and certificate programs that align with the student's career interests. For students considering the University of Hawaii system, this includes connecting with disability services offices early.

Workplace readiness training — Soft skills instruction covering punctuality, professional communication, task completion, and workplace social norms. These are the skills that determine whether a job placement succeeds or fails.

Self-advocacy instruction — Training in how to communicate needs, request accommodations, and navigate systems independently. This is particularly important for students who will need to self-identify as having a disability in college or employment settings where IEPs do not follow them.

How to Get a Referral

The referral process runs through the school. Ask your child's HIDOE transition teacher to complete a Pre-ETS Consent and Referral Form and submit it to DVR. The form requires parental consent and basic student information.

If the transition teacher is unfamiliar with the process — which happens more often than it should — contact your local DVR office directly. Hawaii DVR maintains offices on Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai. The transition coordinator at DVR can work with the school to initiate services.

The ideal time to request a Pre-ETS referral is at the annual IEP meeting when the student is 14 or 15. Ask the DVR coordinator when services can begin after the referral is processed.

Pre-ETS vs Full VR Services

Pre-ETS is exploratory. Full vocational rehabilitation services — which require a formal application, eligibility determination, and development of an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) — are case-managed and targeted toward a specific employment outcome.

Most students should start with Pre-ETS and transition to a full VR application as they get closer to school exit (typically around ages 17–19). The two can overlap — a student receiving Pre-ETS can apply for full services at any time, and the Pre-ETS relationship gives the DVR counselor a running start on understanding the student's interests and abilities.

The advantage of starting with Pre-ETS is speed and simplicity. There is no waitlist, no extensive paperwork, and no risk of being deferred under DVR's Order of Selection.

Making Pre-ETS Part of the IEP

Pre-ETS activities should be written into the IEP transition plan as coordinated transition services. When the IEP team documents DVR Pre-ETS as part of the transition strategy, it clarifies the roles of the school, DVR, and family. It also helps document how the student's work-based learning experiences support the measurable postsecondary goals required under Indicator 13.

The Hawaii IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a DVR coordination timeline and a Pre-ETS referral checklist to help families connect with these services before the window closes at age 21.

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