New Jersey Work-Based Learning in the IEP

What Counts as Work-Based Learning

Work-based learning is any structured experience that places a student in a real or simulated workplace to develop employment skills. In New Jersey's transition framework, these experiences fall into a progression:

Job shadowing is the lightest exposure. The student observes an employee for a few hours or a day, watching how the workplace operates without performing tasks. This is appropriate for younger students at the beginning of their transition planning.

Job sampling (also called job tryouts) places the student at a worksite for a short trial — typically a few days to a few weeks — where they perform actual tasks under close supervision. The student rotates through multiple sites and job types to identify strengths and preferences.

Internships and work experience programs are longer placements, usually a semester or more, where the student performs regular job duties on a set schedule. Some are unpaid training experiences; others are paid positions with employer supervision supplemented by a school-provided job coach.

Paid competitive employment is the end goal. The student works a real job, earns at least minimum wage, and interacts with non-disabled coworkers. School staff may provide on-site coaching during the initial weeks but gradually fade support.

Getting It Into the IEP

Work-based learning should appear in the transition services section of the IEP under N.J.A.C. 6A:14-3.7(e)12, which requires a coordinated set of activities including employment objectives and community experiences. The language needs to be specific enough to be enforceable.

Weak language: "Student will participate in employment activities." This is too vague to hold the district accountable.

Strong language: "Student will participate in two community-based job sampling experiences per semester in food service and retail settings, with job coach support fading to weekly check-ins by the end of each placement." This specifies the frequency, the setting types, and the support structure.

When requesting work-based learning, connect it to the student's measurable postsecondary employment goal. If the goal is competitive employment in a specific industry, the work-based learning placements should target that industry. If the student is still exploring, the placements should rotate across multiple settings to gather vocational assessment data.

How Schools Coordinate Placements

New Jersey school districts typically coordinate work-based learning through the transition coordinator, the Child Study Team, or a partnership with the county vocational school. Some districts run their own transition employment programs with established employer relationships. Others contract with community rehabilitation providers who maintain job sites.

DVRS Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) include work-based learning as one of the five required service areas. If the school district's own work-based learning options are limited, ask the DVRS transition liaison about Pre-ETS work experiences available through the local DVRS field office. These can supplement what the district provides and are available to students as young as 14.

The school is responsible for ensuring that work-based learning placements comply with federal and state labor laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act guidelines for unpaid training programs. If your child is performing productive work that benefits the employer, they should be paid.

Why It Matters for Adult Placement

Documented work-based learning experience directly affects your child's adult employment options. When the DVRS rehabilitation counselor reviews the student's file to draft the Individualized Plan for Employment, work experience data provides concrete evidence of what the student can do and what support they need.

A student with two years of documented job sampling data — showing they can independently stock shelves, follow a cleaning routine, and arrive on time with public transportation — enters the DVRS process with a clear employment profile. The counselor can match them to an appropriate job category and set realistic stabilization milestones. A student with no work experience forces the counselor to start from scratch with exploratory assessments, delaying actual job placement by months.

For students heading to DDD-funded employment services rather than DVRS, the same principle applies. The NJCAT assessment and the Individualized Service Plan both benefit from documented evidence of the student's work capacity and support needs in real settings.

The New Jersey IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes templates for requesting work-based learning in the IEP and tracking placement outcomes across the transition years.

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