Tennessee Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and Vocational Rehabilitation

What Are Pre-Employment Transition Services in Tennessee?

Pre-Employment Transition Services — Pre-ETS — are federally funded career-readiness programs available to Tennessee students with documented disabilities between ages 14 and 21. They're administered by the Division of Rehabilitation Services within the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), and they're free.

Pre-ETS exists to bridge the gap between school and employment. While the IEP focuses on academic and functional goals, Pre-ETS targets the practical career exploration skills that most schools don't formally teach.

The Five Core Pre-ETS Services

Tennessee Pre-ETS is organized around five required services under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA):

Job exploration counseling helps students identify career interests through assessments, employer panels, and workplace visits. This isn't a generic career day — it's structured around the student's individual strengths and goals.

Work-based learning provides hands-on experience through internships, job shadowing, and on-site training in real workplaces. Students practice actual job tasks with support from a transition specialist.

Postsecondary counseling walks students through options after high school — community college, certificate programs, supported employment, or four-year institutions — and helps them understand what accommodations carry forward and which don't.

Workplace readiness training covers the skills employers consistently flag: showing up on time, following multi-step instructions, communicating with supervisors, managing workplace social dynamics, and understanding paycheck basics.

Self-advocacy instruction teaches students to identify their own accommodations needs, communicate them clearly to employers or college disability offices, and understand their legal rights in the workplace.

Who Qualifies for Pre-ETS

Eligibility is straightforward. The student must be between 14 and 21 years old, be enrolled in a secondary, postsecondary, or other recognized education program, and have a documented disability. An IEP or Section 504 eligibility can establish the disability pathway; ask the local VR office what documentation it accepts.

The student does not need to be a formal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) client to receive Pre-ETS. That's a common misconception — Pre-ETS is designed as an early-access program that students can use before they apply for full VR services.

For students under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the Pre-ETS Parental Permission Form (HS-3288) before services begin.

How to Get a Pre-ETS Referral

Three routes into the program:

The IEP team can refer the student directly during a transition planning meeting. If your child's school has a transition coordinator, they likely already have a relationship with the local VR office and can initiate the referral.

The family can contact a Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation office and request Pre-ETS services independently. VR has offices across the state — find the closest one through the TDHS website.

School districts with formal Transition School to Work (TSW) partnerships can channel students into Pre-ETS through contractual agreements between the LEA and VR.

Pre-ETS vs. Full Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Pre-ETS is exploratory — it helps students figure out what kind of work interests them and builds foundational career skills. Full VR services are more intensive and targeted. A VR counselor develops an Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) that includes job placement, on-the-job training, assistive technology, and follow-along support.

Some students transition from Pre-ETS into formal VR services when their career goals become more defined and they need direct employment support rather than exploration.

Ask the VR counselor whether Pre-ETS and full VR services can overlap in the student's plan and how to coordinate them.

Why Timing Matters

Pre-ETS is available through age 21, but the practical window is narrower than that. Students who start at 14 get seven years of progressive career development. Students who wait until 18 get three years — and those years compete with every other transition task (SSI applications, legal authority decisions, adult services enrollment).

The age-14 transition planning mandate in Tennessee's IEP rules isn't arbitrary. It aligns with Pre-ETS eligibility for exactly this reason — families should request a referral at the first transition IEP meeting.

The Tennessee IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a full Pre-ETS and VR coordination timeline, plus tracking worksheets for managing the referral process alongside your child's IEP transition plan.

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