Ascension Mercy’s Project Search Advances Careers for Young Adults with Disabilities
This year, seven young adults graduated from the Ascension NE Wisconsin - Mercy Campus Project SEARCH program joining more than 200 others across the state.
Project SEARCH is a statewide internship program that runs during the school year and provides employment and educational opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. The program is targeted to young adults whose goals are to obtain competitive employment upon completion. An instructor and job coach work with the interns and participating businesses to provide on-the-job training.
“Hosting Project SEARCH benefits the interns, but it also has a positive impact on our culture, and it supports our mission of caring for those most in need,” Amy Brownson, Ascension Mercy Manager of Volunteer Services said. “It’s uplifting to see our staff mentoring the interns throughout the year and then attending the Project SEARCH graduation to recognize their growth and achievement.”
At Ascension Mercy and Franciscan Courts, interns receive classroom instruction on employability and life skills, as they work together to learn how to perform internship tasks independently. The program’s goal is to eliminate individuals’ barriers to employment.
“I learned a lot,” Project SEARCH intern Elizabeth Wood said. "I wasn't good at interacting with strangers when I first started, but my mentors helped me work on that, and now, I'd love to get a customer service job."
During her internship, Elizabeth improved her conversational skills through several tasks, including the transportation of patients in wheelchairs throughout the hospital.
Ascension Mercy has hosted and trained 88 interns since 2016, and has hired interns in the areas of maintenance, dietary, nursing, food service and environmental services.
Project Search is a collaboration of community businesses and agencies including Goodwill, the Oshkosh Area School District, Lakeland Care, TMG Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
Project SEARCH is a statewide internship program that runs during the school year and provides employment and educational opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities. The program is targeted to young adults whose goals are to obtain competitive employment upon completion. An instructor and job coach work with the interns and participating businesses to provide on-the-job training.
“Hosting Project SEARCH benefits the interns, but it also has a positive impact on our culture, and it supports our mission of caring for those most in need,” Amy Brownson, Ascension Mercy Manager of Volunteer Services said. “It’s uplifting to see our staff mentoring the interns throughout the year and then attending the Project SEARCH graduation to recognize their growth and achievement.”
At Ascension Mercy and Franciscan Courts, interns receive classroom instruction on employability and life skills, as they work together to learn how to perform internship tasks independently. The program’s goal is to eliminate individuals’ barriers to employment.
“I learned a lot,” Project SEARCH intern Elizabeth Wood said. "I wasn't good at interacting with strangers when I first started, but my mentors helped me work on that, and now, I'd love to get a customer service job."
During her internship, Elizabeth improved her conversational skills through several tasks, including the transportation of patients in wheelchairs throughout the hospital.
Ascension Mercy has hosted and trained 88 interns since 2016, and has hired interns in the areas of maintenance, dietary, nursing, food service and environmental services.
Project Search is a collaboration of community businesses and agencies including Goodwill, the Oshkosh Area School District, Lakeland Care, TMG Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
