Community Work Transition Program - KDE

The Community Work Transition Program (CWTP) is a cooperative effort between participating local school districts, the Kentucky Department of Education, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Human Development Institute at the University of Kentucky. Established originally in 1984 as the result of a federal grant serving eight central Kentucky counties, the program has grown to 55 school districts statewide in 2015-2016 with approximately 600 students starting the program. The CWTP is designed to help students with disabilities during their last three years of school gain skills and obtain resources to be career ready. During the CWTP process, an Employment specialist spends time with the student individually in order to learn about their interests, abilities, likes, dislikes, and any other information to help the student and employment specialist identify an ideal job match and to negotiate possible employment. The jobs need to reflect student individuality with an eye toward vocations and potential careers, rather than settling for “job placements.” This requires pursuing kinds of work previously unconsidered and the opening of one’s mind to think broadly about employment possibilities, including customized employment (jobs that are negotiated to match student contributions with employer needs). In addition, jobs should be in agreement with each student’s vocational strengths and interests as described in his or her transition plan, Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Individual Learning Plan (ILP) and Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE).