School to Work Alliance Program

School to Work Alliance program from Colorado Department of Education on Vimeo.

The School to Work Alliance Program (SWAP) is a collaborative initiative between the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and local school districts/Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), and is supported by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). SWAP provides case management and direct services to young adults with disabilities who:

Are potentially eligible, applicants of or are eligible to receive DVR services (meeting disability documentation requirements and able to benefit from the program).
Have mild to moderate needs in employment.
Need support in developing vocational awareness, career exploration, and experiencing career and employment opportunities to become competitively employed and to achieve successful outcomes.

Purpose of SWAP

The purpose of SWAP is to assist young adults in making the transition from school to employment, provide successful employment outcomes, increase community linkages, and new patterns of service for young adults within all categories of disabilities. The program's goals include:

Building on current transition planning efforts.
Creating a career pathway through pre-employment transition services.
Filling the case management gap for the targeted population.
Supporting collaboration between DVR and local school districts/BOCES.

SWAP is intended to provide employment-related assistance to young adults with disabilities, who are experiencing mild to moderate barriers to employment. Disabilities can include but are not limited to physical, emotional, or learning disabilities. SWAP provides opportunities for young adults to practice and improve workplace skills, consider their career interests, and obtain real world work experience that will lead to competitive, integrated employment in today’s high demand industries.

SWAP Services

Young adults potentially eligible or eligible for services provided through DVR, qualify to receive evaluation and diagnostic services, vocational counseling and guidance, physical and mental restoration services, and training. Additionally, SWAP may provide services such as:

Pre-employment transition services
Career exploration
Career development
Employment-related instruction
Job development / placement
Case management
One year of follow-up
Year-round community-based services

SWAP may provide services when appropriate to:

Potentially eligible, applicants of or eligible for DVR services, and
Young adults between the ages of 15-24, and
Have mild to moderate needs in employment, and
Typically living within the boundaries of a school district/BOCES participating in the SWAP program. Young adults who do not live in a participating district/BOCES may access vocational rehabilitation services directly through DVR.

Young adults could be:

In-School:

Person with a disability under 504 of the Americans with Disability Act
Receiving special education services
Suspected or known disability not under any other category

Out-of-School:

Graduated or aged out
Drop-out or at risk of dropping out
Under or unemployed

SWAP would not be appropriate for:

Middle school aged students or younger
Young adults with significant needs who will require extensive services or currently are eligible for supported employment services
Young adults with on-going legal problems that make placement in a work setting difficult

Referrals

The appropriate time for a referral to DVR/SWAP is when a young adult’s focus includes employment, and they are available for services. To make a referral contact SWAP in the community in which the young adult lives or your local DVR office. To locate the DVR office nearest you, visit the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation website.

Funding and Program Support

Funding of a SWAP site occurs when schools provide state or local funds to DVR, which are then matched with federal funds. These funds are used to pay for staff and other expenses related to SWAP. Additionally, DVR pays the cost of case services for young adults assisted by the program. Participation in SWAP is optional by local districts/BOCES.

The Colorado Department of Education, through an interagency agreement with DVR, provides joint training and technical assistance, product development and dissemination, conflict resolution assistance, and program monitoring to local SWAP sites.