Parent, Guardian, or Student
Share a student’s interest, goals, and the best way to follow up.
I’m interested in servicesVirginia DARS Group Pre-ETS
Beauty industry Pre-Employment Transition Services
Youth Braid & Business Academy is an approved Virginia DARS provider of group Pre-Employment Transition Services, helping students with disabilities build career awareness, workplace skills, and real-world experience through an industry they are excited to explore.
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Start Here
Choose the path that fits you.
DARS Counselor or School Professional
Refer a student or start a conversation about an upcoming group opportunity.
Make a referralSchool or Organization
Explore a Pre-ETS experience designed around your students and setting.
Bring Pre-ETS to usInterest-Driven Transition
Real experiences, practical workplace skills.
Youth Braid and Business Academy provides interest-driven, hands-on Pre-Employment Transition Services that connect career exploration with real-world work experiences. Students explore careers, practice workplace expectations, and apply what they learn through structured experiences that support employment, postsecondary training, and entrepreneurship.
Current Approved Service Focus
Three connected service areas.
Work-Based Learning Experiences
Structured hands-on and simulated workplace experiences, client interaction and consultation, service workflow, teamwork, workplace expectations, and application of skills.
Job Exploration Counseling
Career interests, beauty-industry occupations and pathways, education, training, and licensure awareness, plus entrepreneurship.
Workplace Readiness Training
Communication, teamwork, professionalism, customer service, time management, organization, sanitation, problem-solving, decision-making, and other transferable employability skills.
Program Design
Work-based learning leads the experience.
Youth Braid and Business Academy group Pre-ETS programming is designed with a strong emphasis on Work-Based Learning Experiences, supported by Job Exploration Counseling and Workplace Readiness Training. A program may be structured at approximately 50% WBLE, 25% JEC, and 25% Workplace Readiness, depending on curriculum length and delivery.
How It Works
A clear, privacy-conscious process.
1. Interest or referral
Families, counselors, and schools use the path above to share only the details needed for an initial conversation.
2. Confirm the next step
Youth Braid and Business Academy follows up about fit, services, timing, and required authorization.
3. Registration after confirmation
Confirmed participants receive the Student Registration and Support Needs form. Do not complete it before enrollment or referral is confirmed.
Professional Referral
Share the details we need to plan well.
Please do not include Social Security numbers, diagnoses, full reports, or unnecessary medical information. Use the supports field to share what should be planned for participation.
757-561-0784