The Employability Skill Development student placement should pass the following checklist of criteria. If the following criteria do not apply, the placement is most likely another type of Work-Based Learning experience such as internship or Cooperative Education.

1. The student has been promoted to the 11th or 12th grade.
2. The student has a detailed training plan that accounts for an amount of time spent on the job that is equal to or greater than the number of seat-hours" represented by the placement.
3. The student has a training agreement which has been completed and signed by all concerned parties (student, parent/guardian, employer, WBL-Coordinator).
4. The student has earned at least one unit in a CTAE course or is concurrently enrolled in a CTAE course.
5. The student's job responsibilities are recognized to be an entry-level experience through which the student is able to master basic skills that are essential to future career success and that introduce the student to the culture of the workplace.
6. The student receives compensation in compliance with state and federal labor laws.
7. The student has a mentor assigned by the business and is evaluated on-site with the school providing any necessary remediation.
8. The student has an Individual Career Plan (ICP).
9. The student has a Career Portfolio assignment which documents the transferrable employability skills learned from this experience.

Employability Skill Development placements are recognized as an entry-level introduction for some student to the working world. They are designed to be short-term experiences lasting no more than one year. Ideally, students who are working in an Employability Skill Development placement will become qualified for one of the other placement opportunities and he re-categorized as soon as possible. Employability Skill Development placements are limited to no more that 25% of the total number of students enrolled in the WBL program.