Youth Pre-Employment Specialist

This position description incorporates the core responsibilities of the job. Other related duties not specifically mentioned might also be performed.

Position Summary

Bridges from School to Work is recognized by leaders in education, government, and business as a fundamental resource for helping young adults with disabilities transition from school to the competitive workplace. Established by the Marriott family, Bridges is in ten major cities across the United States, serving young adults who often have barriers to employment. Bridges’ mission is to transform the lives of youth with disabilities through the power of a job.

The Youth Pre-Employment Specialist will be part of a team that has primary responsibility for implementation and service delivery of Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) and reports to the Director of the local Bridges office. The Youth Pre-Employment Specialist will work to increase the student awareness of the world of work and their own employment interests, skills, and needs; provide exposure to work experiences; and better prepare students for employment and postsecondary success. The Youth Pre-Employment Specialist’s work complements Bridges’ traditional youth transition services, which assist youth with direct job placement into competitive employment and long-term follow-up.

Specific Job Summary

The primary responsibilities of this position will be:

• Work collaboratively with the site Director and Pre-ETS team to ensure the Bridges Pre-ETS model is properly implemented in the required schools and is responsive to the needs of students.
• Under the guidance of the site Director, introduce the Bridges Pre-ETS model to schools, community partners, youth, and their families.
• In partnership with the Director and Bridges team members, engage with the local business community to generate meaningful partnerships.
• Work closely with local vocational rehabilitation offices to ensure satisfactory service delivery, program compliance, and contractual obligations.
• Conduct student intakes, communicate with families and other pertinent stakeholders, and develop student service plans tailored to their individual needs and interests.
• Plan, create, coordinate, schedule, and deliver service plans that include but are not limited to skills workshops, information sessions led by industry experts, job shadowing opportunities, worksite tours, mock interviews, and other types of work-based learning experiences of benefit to students.
• Collect and maintain student eligibility and enrollment information; accurately track and report monthly student outcome data for both billing and compliance purposes.
• Administer the Bridges Pre-ETS model covering five key areas: Job-Exploration Counseling; Work-Based Learning Experiences; Workplace Readiness Training; Self-Advocacy & Peer Mentoring; and Counseling on Post-Secondary Education & Training Opportunities.

Candidate Profile

Required

• Four-year college degree or equivalent in qualifying work experience;
• Formal training and/or significant experience in at least two of the following areas:

o Work with students with disabilities;

o School-to-work transition;

o Job development, employment support, or case management;

o Education, teaching, or counseling, including in a special education setting;

o Educational/learning theory and/or Instructional design and delivery;

o Youth mentoring or counseling in education or human services; and/or

o Networking and creating partnerships, especially within a school or employment setting.

Successful candidates should possess knowledge and skills as follows:

• Experience with curriculum design and delivery that includes one or more of the following: room management; creating learning objectives and lesson plans; teaching; and adapting instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners; and differentiated instruction.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills; attention to detail is essential.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact and communicate effectively, specifically:

o Ability to relate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders;

o Ability to build, facilitate, and participate in collaboration between diverse groups; and

o Ability to effectively interpret and address needs of diverse constituents.

• Self-starter who takes initiative and follows through on tasks to completion.
• Ability to work well under pressure, set and adapt to continually changing workload priorities, and effectively manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision.
• Positive, can-do attitude; professional demeanor; strong customer service orientation; excellent judgment and discretion; diligence, dependability, and strong work ethic.
• Computer skills including basic to intermediate competence with Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to maintain security and confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Valid driver’s license and required insurance level (if you prefer driving to public transportation).
• Bilingual ability is a plus, Spanish is a major plus.

Bridges has a comprehensive benefits package, the main items of which can be found on our careers page HERE.