Interested Employers

Fill out an interested employer form 

Wenatchee Valley Community Transitions is a community based, vocational training program for students who are 18-21 years old.  Students in our program have completed 4 years of high school and have chosen to remain in school to receive instruction in vocational training, self-advocacy, community mobility and connections, functional daily living skills, and functional academics. Wenatchee Valley Community Transitions is growing and we are excited about the opportunity to work with you and your organization.

Our Community Partners
Currently, we have community partnerships with Stemilt Growers, Confluence Health, Albertsons, and the Wenatchee School District. Our partnerships help our students learn to become valuable members of the organization while earning a paycheck. Students who become employed are supported by program provided job coaches who work alongside the student employee to provide training and encouragement. Job coaches also act as a liaison between the student employee and the employer, to model how to appropriately interact with their new colleagues and supervisors. Our job coaches also provide insight to the people who work directly with our student employees so those colleagues can also learn to support our students. This is an integral part of the partnership as these colleagues will become natural supports for our students.  Job coaches, supervisors, teacher and student employee communicate regularly to determine next steps for students and eventually, the decision is made to fade out the job coach so that the student can work independently with the support of their new natural support already employed by the organization.

Helping Students Connect with Agencies
Helping students connect with community agencies is another part of our program that helps ensure student success. Students connect with Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), Social Security Administration (SSA), and are provided information and opportunities to meet the local vocational agencies who will provide work support when students age out of the public school system. This connection is invaluable as our students may need support as they continue to work with the organizations they establish employment with while in our program and they may need support when/if they choose to try something new. It is our hope that students (and their families), build a strong, trusting relationship with the case managers of these organizations while they are still attending Wenatchee Valley  Community Transitions.

Supporting Student Employees
When establishing connections with new community partners it is our goal to have students fully immersed in the organization. Student employees should be held to high expectations and encouraged to learn skills that meet industry standards. Our job coaches will help train students to meet those expectations and advocate for reasonable accommodations if necessary. Student employees are just beginning their work journeys and building stamina and skills is a priority. It is important that as students are hired, work hours are within the school day to accommodate the need for job coaches to be available. As students build stamina and skills, hours may increase as could the student’s ability to work independently, with natural supports.

Employer Contact

Beth Sykes
Teacher I Wenatchee Valley Community Transitions
Wenatchee School District
(509) 475-2850