In addition to providing academic based instruction, the OPTIONS Program also provides instruction for increasing a student's job readiness skills.  Students may be enrolled in various job readiness training courses designed to meet the needs of the OPTIONS students.  Employment Strategies, Job Social Skills, Interviewing Basics and Career Explorations and Research are classes that are designed to teach students the critical vocational behaviors necessary for employment success.

Additionally, OPTIONS students have the opportunity to participate in community based internships.  These internships are designed to offer students experiences in exploring various industry areas, building good worker traits, and providing training in specific vocational interest areas.  Internships are programmed for during regular school hours and students typically participate on an average of 5-10 hours per week at their sites. 

The vocational counselor assists students in identifying an appropriate interest area and site, preparing for the interview, meeting the supervisor, and arranging a work schedule. Once students reach the point when they are ready to begin their internship experiences, students' progress and performance are monitored by the vocational counselor and their internship on-site supervisors.  Students will be responsible for filling out daily log sheets to report their work duties, activities, challenging events, problems, questions, etc.  Internship supervisors will also report feedback regarding work performance and competency levels in two ways.  Supervisors will complete the bi-monthly monitor sheets and also meet periodically with the vocational counselor to discuss progress and performance issues.   The internship experience provides opportunities for OPTIONS students to experience the world of work in addition to learning about their expressed vocational interest area.