Job Training – Business Partnerships

Through actual hands-on demonstration and skill development, job trainers help teach students (and adults) the necessary skills to become successful in a competitive employment environment. Our Job Trainers are proud to be part of the transition that prepares our students for a successful future and helps them obtain confidence in their abilities.

Our job trainers prepare students before, supervise them during, and provide training throughout their work experience. Plus, our staff works with your business every step of the way.

From a student “job shadowing” one of your employees for a few hours to sponsoring student work experiences at your site to working with a student for a semester-long internship, many options are available to match the needs of your business and our students.

Only if they are hired by your business through our Competitive Work Program, such that they are employees and receive wages. Students participating in other job training opportunities are not paid as these students are not employees. For example, students in the Community-Based Work Experience Program engage in and complete real-life work experiences at local businesses, supported and supervised by Job Trainers; as part of this educational opportunity, participants receive monetary or non-monetary incentives to reinforce program participation and simulate the “real world” experience of time in a work setting correlating to compensation, as well as providing opportunities for development of financial literacy skills. Students in the Volunteer Work Experience Program receive work experience through volunteer opportunities at local nonprofit organizations.

Business Partners play an invaluable role in the education of our students by welcoming students into their workplaces to learn and practice skills aligned to their IEP and/or Transition Plan. Our Business Partners provide opportunities for students to engage in and complete real-life work experiences, supported and supervised by Job Trainers to ensure quality and success. Business partners may also provide financial sponsorship, which funds student incentives for the overall Community-Based Work Experience Program.

Your financial contribution to IU13 (a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) is a “charitable contribution” under IRS Code, at 26 U.S.C. Section 170. IU13 will provide an acknowledgement letter annually for contributions of $250 or greater. Please seek the advice of your tax preparer regarding charitable contributions. 

No. Businesses are only responsible for liability and worker’s compensation when students are competitively employed, such as in the Competitive Work Program. Students participating in the Community-Based and Volunteer Work Experience Programs are not employees.

Certainly! In fact, many of our students work for our business partners after graduation – and already have many of the specific skills needed for success thanks to their previous training with their employer. Plus, we offer continued on-site job training for our students as needed to help ensure a successful transition. We are proud that many of our students have earned competitive employment with community partners because they have been able to demonstrate their ability to complete the job and demonstrate the soft skills needed in a competitive job.