Project SEARCH interns graduate

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -Wednesday is graduation day for several students in a program that focuses on employment opportunities for young adults with disabilities.

11 interns walked across the stage in Eau Claire and spoke about their experiences working through the program. Project SEARCH is run by Mayo Clinic Health System. It helps young adults with physical and developmental disabilities enter the workforce.

Interns in the program learn skills during a nine-month period, which can include organization, packaging, general accounting, and others. The Project SEARCH Program currently has more than 180 young adults at more than 25 sites across Wisconsin.

“You know, they get an opportunity here to take to do three different ten-week rotations. And so essentially 30 weeks of work skills and training opportunities. As the instructor, I get to teach them in the class component as well. And it’s just a great opportunity for our interns to come out here to learn vocational skills and prepare themselves for employment success after high school,” Tim Burns, Project SEARCH Instructor, said

Mayo Clinic Health System says interns are currently working with job developers, and many have jobs lined up after the program.

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