Start on Success
Community-based work experience through paid internships
Through collaboration between students, families, schools, community agencies, and employers, Start on Success (SOS) provides high school students with IEPs who are pursuing standard diplomas with a high quality work-based learning experience. Selected students enroll in a credit-bearing Career and Technical Education (CTE) course and then participate in a paid internship at a local business with an assigned mentor to assist with problem-solving, accommodations, and applying workplace readiness skills.
In Virginia, over seventy-five percent of SOS graduates engage in postsecondary education and training, military, and/or employment.
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Effects of a Paid Internship Model on Postschool Outcomes of At-risk Youth with Disabilities
Ligon, K., & McKelvey, S. (March 2025). Effects of a Paid Internship Model on Postschool Outcomes of At-risk Youth with Disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1177/10522263251326495
Start on Success Program Outcomes

The SOS school-to-work program is making a difference in changing the outcomes of students with disabilities.
View InfographicStart on Success Replication Guide
This free guide is designed to provide guidance in replicating the components of this highly successful school-to-work model.
View GuideStart on Success Action Plan

The Start on Success Action Plan provides an outline of tasks to accomplish when developing an SOS program.
View Action PlanStart on Success | Techniques, September 2021 (ACTEOnline.org)

A school and business collaboration model offering work-based learning for students with disabilities.
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