The Project SEARCH class of 2021 has celebrated is graduation. The ceremony recognized 7 interns who completed their internships at host site, War Memorial Hospital.
Project SEARCH is a collaborative effort between War Memorial Hospital, the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District and Michigan Rehabilitation Services. Project SEARCH is a unique program that serves as a one year school-to-work program for young adults who have a documented disability. The graduates have completed a range of hands-on job experiences at War Memorial Hospital. There are 13 different departments at War Memorial that accept interns.
The goal of Project SEARCH is for interns to become competitively employed at the end of the program. The Project SEARCH program provides real-life work experience combined with training in employability and independent living skills to help young adults with a variety of disabilities make successful transitions from school to productive adult life. The Project SEARCH model involves an extensive period of training and career exploration, innovative adaptations, long-term job coaching, and continuous feedback from teachers, skills trainers, and employers. As a result, at the completion of the training program, students with significant intellectual disabilities can be employed in nontraditional, complex and rewarding jobs.
Project SEARCH was developed in 1996 at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to provide employment and education opportunities for individuals with a variety of disabilities. In the fall of 2018, Project SEARCH came to the Eastern Upper Peninsula and there has been a graduating class each year thereafter. This year’s interns are the third graduating class, and the largest class in our area to date.
If you are interested in learning more about the Project SEARCH program or you have additional questions, please contact Kelli Fenlon, Project SEARCH coordinator at kfenlon@eupschools.org. For more information on Project SEARCH visit www.projectsearch.us
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