Position Summary

To develop and coordinate school-based and community job experiences for special needs youth based upon interests and abilities and provide various support services to help ensure successful job skills acquisition while in placement. This is a 10-month position.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This position is a specialist/coordinator position to supporting transition-age youth in work-based learning experiences.

• Serves in Life Skills and Special Day classroom environments involving moderately and severely disabled students.
• Understands laws relating to employment of minors and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Coordinates with CDE Workability I and Department of Rehabilitation program options and eligibility requirements.
• Supports career paths and future educational opportunities for clients.
• Understands various handicapping conditions and their effect upon productivity and work site accommodations.
• Complies with special education laws, rules and regulations.

Supervision Received and Exercised

This position reports to the Department Manager and serves under limited supervision, subject to organizational and program policies and procedures.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

• Conducts one-on-one or small group career assessment, work-readiness and self-advocacy lessons to high school students with special needs as a representative of the Workability I team.
• Develops in-school and community-based job experiences for Life Skills and Special Day Class students possessing varying degrees of skills and abilities
• Manages multiple student work crews throughout county related to job skills development
• Maintains inventories for student training programs, develops distributorships and delivers products throughout community for sale.
• Serves as liaison between, and a vocational resource to, Special Education staffs and parents, employers and public agencies such as the Department of Rehabilitation and Regional Center;
• Explains program regulations and guidelines upon request.
• Recommends appropriate skill development and training for students after careful analysis of the student’s abilities and interests and the nature of the work to be performed.
• May recommend specific vocational goals and objectives for inclusion in Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)
• Represents the HCOE Workability program as a member of an IEP team and in interagency meetings.
• Monitors the progress of students while in job skills development and initiates modifications to skill development goals when appropriate;
• Provides small group and individual assistance related to job skill development.
• Assists Special Education teachers in developing and monitoring a student’s overall transition to achieve the highest independence possible.
• Demonstrates and models appropriate work skills and behaviors.
• Trains students to interact and communicate with public.
• Trains students in health and safety practices when working in community.
• May develop and conduct in-service programs for other staff and agency representatives upon request.
• Assists in the data gathering process for determining a student’s eligibility for subsidized services provided by the county office of education or other public agencies.
• Identifies barriers to employment and makes recommendations regarding ways or means of reducing/eliminating such barriers.
• May be required to serve on an on-call basis and/or to adjust work hours in a reasonable manner to accommodate the needs of students, parents and/or employers and student work schedules.
• Makes referral to counselors, social workers, teachers, or other appropriate agency personnel when specialized services beyond the qualifications of the caseworker are required.
• Maintains records in compliance with program, audit and legal requirements.
• Provide trainings and maintains reports and documentation for sub-minimum wage determinations.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications/Employment Standards

Knowledge of:

• Life Skills and Special Day classroom environments involving moderately and severely disabled students.
• Laws relating to employment of minors and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Workability and Department of Rehabilitation program options and eligibility requirements.
• Career paths and future educational opportunities for clients.
• Various handicapping conditions and their effect upon productivity and work site accommodations.
• Special education laws, rules and regulations.

Ability to:

• Work well with moderately and severely disabled students of varying ages, their family members, and agency personnel;
• Read and comprehend complex laws, rules and regulations;
• Organize work and communicate clearly and concisely;
• Follow oral and written directions.
• Work independently and exercise sound judgment;
• Maintain accurate records for program audit;’
• Make formal presentations to small and large audiences;
• Lift and/or move adaptive equipment, occasionally in excess of 50 pounds;
• Adapt to changing work demands including adjustments to work schedule;
• Manage task priorities to meet deadlines;
• Work under varying degrees of stress;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals and groups;
• Read and comprehend fine print, such as contracts, spreadsheets, texts, catalogs, etc.;
• Communicate effectively via telephone, email and in person.

Education and Experience

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Education

• Bachelors Degree preferred, however a Community College and/or Technical School degree with study in the area of special education or career/vocational guidance services will be considered.

Experience

• Not less than two years’ experience working with youth as a Life Skills/Special Day Class Vocational Assistant, Special education classroom aide in a mild-to-moderate or moderate-to-severe Life Skills or Special Day Class setting, or at least one year special education classroom aide experience and one or more years’ experience as a vocational technician, rehabilitation technician or similar experience.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Stand, sit and/or move about for sustained periods
• Move about in non-traditional instructional environments; i.e., areas of the community
• Report to multiple worksites in a given day or during the work week.
• Daily oral and written communication.
• Speaking and hearing ability to sufficiently hear over the phone and carry on routine conversations.
• Operating a computer, calculator, copier and other equipment that involves repetitive arm and hand movements.
• Hand-eye-arm and finger dexterity.
• Visual acuity sufficient to recognize people, words and numbers.

Work Environment

The following conditions may be present:

• This position will require transporting students and supervising students at worksites. This may expose them to inclement weather, the public, and potentially uncooperative students and/or parents.
• May be required to serve on an on-call basis and/or to adjust work hours in a reasonable manner to accommodate the needs of students, parents and/or employers and student work schedules.
• Will have a designated office space, but be serving at different high schools and work-sites throughout the county to provide services to students in the Workability I program. This will require flexibility and cooperation with the staff at each site.

Other Requirements

• Must be fingerprinted and a satisfactory Department of Justice records check must be received by HCOE prior to employment.
• TB testing will be required upon employment.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical (if applicable).
• May be required to obtain first aid and CPR certificates within the first 6 to 12 months of employment.
• May be required to drive with or without students; some positions may require a California driver’s license, proof of insurance and possible participation in the DMV PUll Notice Program once employed.

Range 12 | PC Approved 9/20/2022