Vermont Business Magazine On June 5, Howard Center and The University of Vermont Medical Center today is celebrating the unique accomplishments of eight graduates of the Project SEARCH program. Project SEARCH is an international school-to-work transition program for students with disabilities in their final year of high school. The unique business-led program takes place entirely at the workplace. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite internships.
The goal of the program is for students to graduate with transferable and marketable job skills and a job offer for competitively paid employment. At this time, six of the eight interns completing the program this year have been offered employment, and one has been offered a full-time position at the UVM Medical Center.
The local Project SEARCH Program began in 2015 as a partnership among Howard Center, Vocational Rehabilitation, the Vermont Agency of Education, the South Burlington Schools, and the EDGE Sports and Fitness. In August 2018, the UVM Medical Center joined the Project as the employer partner for this innovative program, replacing the EDGE Sports and Fitness.
“The University of Vermont Medical Center is proud to partner with Howard Center to provide young Vermonters with this opportunity to build their skills and abilities,” said Steve Leffler, MD, Interim President of the UVM Medical Center.
Cathie Buscaglia, Director of Innovation at Howard Center adds, “We are grateful to the University of Vermont Medical Center for helping us provide increased opportunities for our students to achieve their goals and fulfill their potential.”
Project SEARCH makes a difference in our communities by reducing stigma and increasing the public’s expectations of people with disabilities. Since it began in 2015, 26 interns have completed the program, 25 of whom have achieved successful employment.
For additional information about Project SEARCH, contact Karen Hussey at [email protected] or (802)-488-6555.
About Howard Center: Howard Center has a long and rich history as a trusted provider in the community. With a legacy spanning more than 150 years, we have been providing progressive, compassionate, high-quality care and supports to those in need. Today, we offer an array of mental health, substance use, and developmental services across the lifespan. As Vermont’s largest social service organization, our 1,600 staff help more than 16,000 people each year in over 60 locations throughout Vermont in collaboration with hundreds of community partners. Howard Center’s 24/7/365 crisis service, First Call for Chittenden County, is available to meet the needs of Chittenden County children, adults, and families in crisis by calling 802-488-7777. Howard Center is a funded agency of United Way of Northwest Vermont. www.howardenter.org. Help is here.
About The University of Vermont Medical Center: The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 447-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high quality academic medicine to every community we serve.
For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or visit our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.
Source: Howard Center 6.5.2019