In late May, Project SEARCH celebrated the conclusion of a year of hard work for Pitt County Schools students with disabilities.
Project SEARCH is a combined education and internship program for students with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, who have completed their high school or community college academic requirements, but who have not yet officially graduated. It is designed to give them the skills to gain employment after high school and contribute to their communities.
The Pitt County Project Search program is a partnership between Vidant Medical Center, Pitt County Schools, RHA Health Services and the N.C. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
Students in the program work on employability skills in the classroom for the first hour and last half hour of the day. The rest of their day is spent at an internship for which they applied, interviewed and were selected.
At the ceremony in May, students received their certificates and had an opportunity to reflect on their time in the program. After graduation the students will receive assistance with finding gainful employment.
WATCH THIS VIDEO from WNCT to see interviews with the May 2019 Pitt County Project SEARCH graduates.
Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to over 300 sites across the United States and Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Australia. Project SEARCH’s primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.