A new Guelph program will allow students with developmental disabilities to learn skills to take into the workplace and secure employment.
The Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board are partnering with University of Guelph for Project SEARCH. The program aims to give students training, job coaching, career options and independent life skills.
Students in their last year of high school will spend the 2024/2025 school year at the U of G participating in three, 10-week long placements.
These internships could be jobs within student experience at the university like hospitality, athletics, and daycare, said Jeff Mawhinney, program coordinator for special education at WCDSB.
It is aimed for students 18 to 21 and the goal is for students to secure a job after the program ends. A job that is a permanent position, pays minimum wage or above and is 16 hours a week or more.
Program partner March of Dimes, which promotes equity and empowering people with disabilities, will provide two career coaches to help students.
“So the community agency is learning about their skills and learning about their strengths and areas of need. And we're building on those skills so that when they finish the program, they have some transferable skills that will help them get employment in the community,” said Mawhinney.
The organization will continue to follow-up with students after the program ends to ensure they find jobs, he said.
The U of G will provide a classroom and work with the partners involved to develop the internships.
It’s a win, win, win for all parties, said Janet Doner, manager of campus and community integrated learning in the experiential learning hub at U of G.
Not only is it a good opportunity for students in the program but also U of G students who will be employed alongside them, she said.
The program could also show how best we can serve U of G students and adjust workplace practices to be more accessible, said Doner.
WCDSB will provide a teacher for the program.
“We're very excited to have it to give opportunities for students to really find their path and employment and to .. be part of our community,” said Mawhinney.
“And so the outcomes we know from Project SEARCH are really, really good. It's one of the best returns for employment for people with disabilities,” said Peggy Blair, superintendent of education for UGDSB.
It gives students and their families optimism when it comes to employment, Blair said.
Our jobs help form our identities and “that employment piece is critical for the lifelong success of these young people,” she said.
Blair noted unemployment rates are high for people with certain disabilities.
“So it really is about the value added to the company because people with disabilities work extremely, extremely hard,” she said.
“But we also want people to understand that … if we give people the right supports, then of course, people can be successful in a job,” Blair said.