Fact Sheet: Technology Career Exploration
TECH-Prep Overview
The Technology Early Career Preparation Intervention project (TECH-Prep) is a research intervention designed to introduce transition-age youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to careers in technology, particularly youth who experience additional barriers to employment. A key component of TECH-Prep is facilitated online training that focuses on exploring careers in technology and developing professional skills needed for workplace success. The online training takes place after school and lasts approximately 10-12 weeks. It is followed by a paid internship aligned with the interests they identify during the course.
Importance of Technology Career Exploration
Opportunities to learn about different technology-related careers are critical in identifying potential career pathways that match a person’s strengths and interests. However, many youth with IDD do not have sustained opportunities to learn about technology-related careers. Often, they are not enrolled in high school courses with strong technology content, and they are directed towards employment options that have been traditionally reserved for people with IDD (e.g., cleaning or food service). However, when youth with IDD have chances to learn about a range of technology-related careers, they may discover new possibilities for employment that had not been considered before.
How TECH-Prep Uses Online Technology Career Exploration
TECH-Prep participants have multiple opportunities to investigate technology-related careers during the online training part of the study. Within the online course, they complete technology-related career interest assessments, explore different technology related career pathways through videos and activities, and see real-life examples of people with IDD thriving within technology-related workplaces. Here are a few resources that participants have found to be particularly helpful:
- STEM Careers Coalition Career Finder (https://stemcareerscoalition.discoveryeducation.com/_) - interactive online technology-related career interest assessment that features a wide range of videos, training and education requirements, and career pathway information.
- My Next Move (https://www.mynextmove.org/) - comprehensive website funded by the US Department of Labor that allows users to learn more about specific careers by industry and to evaluate possible careers through the O*NET interest profiler.
- Day at Work: Graphic Designer video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmBK0_vbYnY) - short but powerful video that documents a typical day for a graphic designer. Videos that clearly show what specific work tasks are like and what the workplace environment consists of can be effective tools for gauging initial student interest in a range of jobs.
- Introduction to Handshake video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxgPMj8XBkM) - user-friendly video that shows students how they can connect with the Handshake network to search for internship and entry-level employment opportunities in their local area. Handshake is specifically tailored for high school and college students.
Considerations for Practice
Extended opportunities to learn about different technology-related fields and careers within those areas is the first step in expanding employment for youth with IDD in technology. Once a student identifies potential areas or careers of interest, then it is important to develop ways for them to experience what work is really like in those jobs. Informational interviewers, workplace tours, job shadowing, and ultimately, hands-on work experiences within technology-related fields are all ways to help youth with IDD build important skills, make professional connections, and decide if technology is the career path they want to pursue.
Learn More: https://idd.vcurrtc.org/research/rs3.cfm
The contents of this fact sheet were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number #90RTEM0013). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this fact sheet do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.