Article Gold Open Access 2023

Developing soft (employability) skills and work experience opportunities to prepare students with intellectual disability for open employment

YK
Young, Kirsty A.
 RD
Rooney, Donna
British Journal of Special Education
Journal · Vol. 50 · Issue 4 · pp. 427-439
Abstract

This research identifies the soft (employability) skills that key stakeholders view as essential for young people with intellectual disability (ID) to gain and maintain open employment. The study subsequently examined the work experience opportunities for young people with ID to develop these soft skills during their school years. Qualitative data from 89 participants (questionnaires and interviews) and a review of the current literature informed the development of a set of soft skills for open employment and a proposed model for work exposure programmes from the commencement to the conclusion of high school. © 2023 The Authors. British Journal of Special Education published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of National Association for Special Educational Needs.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Employability skills work experience intellectual disability work preparation

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Funding & Acknowledgements
University of Technology Sydney, UTS
The authors would like to acknowledge their gratitude to Onemda for supporting this project. Open access publishing facilitated by University of Technology Sydney, as part of the Wiley - University of Technology Sydney agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.
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