An event is planned to provide details about a program which helps young adults with disabilities be involved in a unique internship program.

According to USD 305, an information night for Project SEARCH is scheduled for this coming Thursday. The event begins at 6:00 in the  Braddick Building behind Salina Regional Health Center at 400 S. 7th Street.

Project SEARCH is a business-led transition program for people with disabilities who are 18 – 21 years old. The end goal is employment, with career exploration and hands-on training at Salina Regional Health Center (SRHC), which houses the program. The program is based on a true collaboration between our school and business partner agencies to provide support for Project SEARCH.

“The interns learn employability and job skills,” explained Ardis Bryan, Project SEARCH instructor. “They rotate through different worksites, developing strengths and skills along the way that will allow them to get and keep a job.”

Bryan added that accommodations and on-the-job coaching make the school-year program an excellent launchpad toward employment. Salina’s Project SEARCH has served a total of 88 interns since it began in the fall of 2011, achieving 80 percent employment. Over 30 work locations within 25 departments at SRHC have hosted an intern for on-the-job training.