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River View Elementary School custodian Wayne “Ike” Smith is one of more than 20 former Plainfield School District 202 students hired after completing an internship with Project SEARCH.
This national high school transition program pairs disabled students with internships in workplaces such as hospitals, banks or schools, according to news release from the district.
District 202 joined the program in 2015, partnering with University of Chicago Medicine AdventHealth in Bolingbrook to offer students the opportunity to work in various departments. The Post-Secondary Transition and Education Program students gain valuable work experience.
Project SEARCH students work with job coaches at Trinity Services Inc. to help them interview and secure employment after the internship ends.
“When [workers] realize they are capable and successful in getting employment in the community, that is the program’s real success,” District 202 Project SEARCH coordinator Megan Kobliska said.
The program is funded with a federal grant and relies on partnerships with the hospital, Trinity Services Inc. and the state of Illinois Department of Human Services’ Rehabilitation Services Administration.