Workforce and vocational rehabilitation
A student clocks in, reports to a supervisor, and works a real job. PAES turns that shift into evidence your counselors can act on. State vocational rehabilitation agencies, workforce boards, and their school district partners use PAES to deliver three of the five required pre-employment transition services.
The Pre-ETS mapping
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) directs State VR agencies to reserve at least 15% of their State vocational rehabilitation allotment for Pre-Employment Transition Services for students who have special needs aged 14 to 21. Here is how PAES maps against every category.
1
Job exploration counseling
Students rotate through five vocational areas and discover where their strengths fit. The evidence comes from structured observation, not self-report.
✓ PAES covers this
2
Work-based learning experiences
Students clock in, report to supervisors, and complete real work tasks across 260+ structured jobs. It is work, inside a controlled environment.
✓ PAES covers this
3
Workplace readiness training
Workplace soft skills tracked across every assessment cycle: punctuality, persistence, teamwork, safety, following instructions, and more.
✓ PAES covers this
4
Counseling on post-secondary education
Guidance on further education options, typically delivered by a VR counselor or transition specialist directly.
- Not covered by PAES
5
Instruction in self-
advocacy
Building self-determination skills, typically addressed through separate curriculum or counselling provision.
- Not covered by PAES
Why VR counselors trust the data
When a placement decision gets questioned, the data has to hold up. Counselors need results that stay the same no matter who ran the assessment or which site the student attended. That is exactly what PAES is built for.
In the 2026 PAES Customer Impact Survey, 307 educators told us how they use PAES data. They trust it, and they lean on it for the decisions that matter most.
74%
trust PAES data for high-stakes transition decisions· 2026 Customer Impact Survey
79%
rate the credibility of PAES data as high· 2026 Customer Impact Survey
75%
say PAES reduces subjectivity in decisions about students·
Trusted by
Two organizations PAES works with directly on Pre-ETS delivery.
Funding routes
There is no single funding model: the right combination depends on the delivery context, the lead agency, and the state. Here are the most common routes, grouped by source type.
Who this works for
Four delivery contexts, each with a funding route built in.
State VR agencies
Commission PAES through a cooperative agreement with a school district or community provider, paid from Pre-ETS funds. Several state VR agencies operate long-running cooperative models that parallel this structure: California's TPP, Oregon's YTP, Illinois STEP, Maryland Bridge to Career. PAES slots directly into these.
FAQ
When a VR agency and school district co-fund a PAES Lab, a cooperative agreement outlines each party's contribution and responsibilities. Typically the district hosts the lab and staff, while VR funds the Pre-ETS-aligned components. Our team helps draft this structure during setup.
PAES is registered as an approved vendor in many states already. If your state isn't listed, we can typically complete vendor registration within your procurement system before your funding cycle deadline.
Most labs go live within 8–12 weeks of first contact, covering funding approval, procurement, equipment setup, and initial supervisor training. Timelines vary by state procurement cycle and funding source.
