Pre-Employment Transition Services Definitions Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) represents a collaboration between VR and local education agencies (LEAs). Pre-ETS are an extension of VR and are the first level of services that students can receive from the Department of Human Services. Broadly speaking, Pre-ETS are a transition service that are meant to help prepare students with disabilities for the transition from high school to postsecondary education, employment, and independent living.
Pre-ETS services include:
Job Exploration Counseling Work-Based Learning Experiences Workplace Readiness Training Counseling on Postsecondary Education Opportunities Instruction in Self-Advocacy These services are designed to help students identify career interests, which may be further explored through later vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. One of the benefits of Pre-ETS is improving the transition of students with disabilities from school to postsecondary education or employment.
Guiding Questions Does my school offer Pre-ETS? How often does the Pre-ETS provider come to the school? What skills is the Pre-ETS provider working on with students? Can the Pre-ETS provider come to my IEP meeting? What are some of the Pre-ETS services that might interest me? Have you ever taken a career interest assessment? What did you learn? Have you participated in job shadowing? What did you learn? Have you received support with job search strategies? Have you ever led your IEP meeting? What did you learn from this experience? Resources EMPOWER November Monthly Deep Dive - Pre-ETS EMPOWER VI dives deeper into eligibility, services, and providers for Pre-ETS in their archived Newsletter.
What Should I Know About Pre-Employment Transition Services TransitionTN provides this Tip Sheet to help readers understand what they should know about Pre-ETS including the basics and myths.
If you’d like more information about Pre-ETS within your region of Tennessee, call 833-751-0597. Or, visit Pre-Employment Transition Services (tn.gov) to contact your local Pre-ETS supervisor for your area.
Pre-ETS may look different in other states. We recommend starting the conversation about what Pre-ETS looks like in your state by speaking with your school counselor, special education teacher, and/ or your local VR Office: State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (ed.gov)
