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Intended as a sourcebook for administrators of rural Iowa schools, this report outlines the development and implementation of a school-to-work transition program for rural youth. Part 1 discusses the need and rationale for a program to facilitate the school-to-work transition. Included among the topics addressed in this discussion are an overview of the parameters and goals of vocational and career education, ways of implementing the basic transition concepts, and linkages necessary for a true transition. Next, a planning model is examined that will aid administrators and local school boards in initiating a program that is responsive to the needs of students. Covered in the individual sections of this examination are planning for the implementation of a local transition process (an overview of the planning process, support for planning from area vocational planning councils, a planning model for local schools, coordination of local school and area council plans, and phases of a multi-year plan) as well as implementing a transition delivery model (the model's rationale and philosophy, establishing joint-effort programs, implementation guidelines, financing, center-based curriculum design, programs of instruction, center program offerings, types of programs, and a Center Model Ten Program of instruction). (MN)

This booklet, one of seven publications of the Vocational Education for Special Students (VESS) program, contains models developed at Iowa Central Community College for work experience instructors, vocational instructors, and school representatives to use in training programs for handicapped and disadvantaged students. The models provide training plans for the following 37 occupations: auction assistant, auto body repairer, bricklayer, cabinet maker apprentice, carpenter, carpet layer, cashier clerk, computer operator, cook, custodian/janitor/cleaner, darkroom technician/photographer assistant, day care helper, day care worker, electrician's helper, electrical appliance services, farm equipment mechanic, farm machinery set-up mechanic, floral designer, grain elevator clerk, grounds keeper, horticulture worker, housekeepers, laundry worker, library assistant, offset press operator, parts clerk, painter, plumber apprentice, retail sales persons, secretary, shipping and receiving clerk, short order cook, stock clerk, teacher's aide, waitress/waiter, wastewater treatment plant operator, and welder's helper. Each training plan includes a student evaluation form listing skills to be mastered with blanks to complete by the teacher/community contact, with competency tasks, performance standards, and knowledges necessary to complete the tasks. (KC)

The Vocational Education for Special Students (VESS) program, structured around local resources and community college vocational programs, makes use of local business in combination with available educational facilities and programs to provide a unique learning experience. The program is aimed at developing job-specific skills that can lead to employment for special needs students. This Basic Manual, one of seven documents developed for the VESS program, provides information for teachers and administrators in developing a program for handicapped and disadvantaged students. The manual is divided into four parts. Part 1 provides the necessary background of the program and includes program objectives, definitions, a glossary, and an explanation of the role of personnel. Part 2 includes details of how to implement the VESS programs. Practical steps are included to select students, prepare Individualized Educational Plans, develop training sites, write training plans and agreements, monitor student performance, and grant credits and certificates. Part 3 addresses the issues that must be considered by school administrators when they allow students from their districts to participate in VESS. Part 4 is a summary that provides a review of the project, including additional charts and explanations to help the readers obtain an overall understanding of the concept of VESS. (KC)