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Professional Development

Youth service professionals require competencies in many fields (youth development, education, workforce development, disability, etc.) to effectively guide youth in transition and maximize their potential.

Career Development

Career development is a process in which all youth choose and prepare for careers that fit their interests, skills and values by participating in the three key phases of self-exploration, career exploration, and career planning and management. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have implemented individualized learning plans (ILPs) as a career development activity that youth service professionals can use in guiding youth through the career development process.

Other ILP Information and Resources

Youth Development and Leadership

Youth development is a process in which youth prepare for the challenges of adolescence and adulthood by building skills and competencies through coordinated, progressive activities and experiences. Youth service professionals can help guide youth through their understanding of the five phases of youth development: learning to apply knowledge from school to other areas of life, connecting with peers and mentors who positively influence behavior and attitudes, thriving in both physical and mental health, working toward a career goal, and leading others in the community in ways that matter to the young person.

Soft Skills

"Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success" is a curriculum developed by ODEP focused on teaching "soft" or workforce readiness skills to youth, including youth with disabilities. Created for youth service professionals as an introduction to workplace interpersonal and professional skills, the curriculum is targeted for youth ages 14 to 21 in both in-school and out-of-school environments. The basic structure of the program comprises modular, hands-on, engaging activities that focus on six key skill areas: communication, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, networking, problem solving and critical thinking, and professionalism.

Community Service

Volunteerism and work-based learning (both paid and voluntary) can provide critical preparation for youth as they transition from school into the world of work. ODEP and the Corporation for National and Community Service(link is external) have collaborated to create policy guidance and highlight resources to promote national service as an option for all youth, including youth with disabilities.

Apprenticeship

ODEP's apprenticeship initiative focused on increasing systems capacity to provide apprenticeship training to youth and young adults with a full range of disabilities, including those with the most significant disabilities, and to utilize the increased flexibilities detailed in DOL's apprenticeship regulations, 29 CFR Part 29, issued in 2008.

Additional Resources