The Youth Transition Program (YTP) is a comprehensive transition program for youth with disabilities operated collaboratively by the office of Oregon Office of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (OVRS), the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), the University of Oregon (U of O), and local school districts statewide in Oregon. The purpose of the program is to prepare youth with disabilities for employment or career related post secondary education or training.

YTP was initially developed in seven high schools in 1990 under the auspices of a federal grant. The program currently operates in approximately 120 high schools in Oregon and is funded through a combination of state and local funds from participating education and rehabilitation agencies. OVRS contracts with a team from the U of O to provide training and technical assistance to school and rehabilitation personnel statewide.

The YTP provides year-round services to youth typically during the last two years of high school and continuing into the early transition years after leaving high school. All students in the program receive a comprehensive pattern of service designed to address a broad array of transition needs including:

1. Individualized planning, focused on post school goals and self determination, and help to coordinate school plans with relevant community agencies;


2. Instruction in academic, vocational, independent living, and personal social skills and help to stay in and complete high school;


3. Career development services including goal setting, career exploration, job search skills, and self advocacy;


4. Emphasis on paid employment such as connections with local employers, development of school-based businesses, on the job assessment and training;


5. Support services such as individualized mentoring and support or referrals for additional specific interventions;

In order to fully understand the "UPCOMING EVENTS" feature found on the right-hand banner of the YTP website, this article gives you a bit more detail about how to plan your professional development activities as an YTP transition specialist , an OVRS Counselor or simply as an YTP stakeholder.

YTP contracts say that grant funded staff will attend all YTP trainings sponsored by University of Oregon. To make that clear, all upcoming training events listed down the right-hand banner under the "UPCOMING EVENTS" schedule that are "contractually required" training events will have YTP in the title of the event. For clarification purposes, often Regional Trainings are offered several times and in several locations. Attendance at one Regional Training would be the "contractual expectation" (although a Transition Specialist or VRC would not be prevented from attending more than one regional training if they found the content beneficial or desirable for professional development purposes). Typically, the YTP Management Team plans and implements one Statewide Conference per year.