Project SEARCH Program Reverse Job Fair Today

Looking for highly trained eager health care or service industry employees? Or just interested in learning more about this innovative, successful partnership between local employers and the PLUS Company?

Look no further – the PLUS Company invites you to come out tonight, April 9, for its 2013 annual employer event from 4-6 p.m. at St. Joseph Hospital 172 Kinsley St., Nashua, in the Carl Amelio Room. The event is an informal opportunity for employers to get to know the seven students completing the Project Search training program. Several employers who have hired graduates will be available to answer questions. Light refreshments will be provided to all in attendance.

Project Search is an innovative training program which partners young adults with intellectual disabilities with an intensive training/internship program at St Joseph Hospital in Nashua. The students chose three rotations to learn health care related skills including food service, housekeeping, clerical skills, indirect care, mail delivery, sterile processing, and maintenance and facilities. The graduates are then prepared to enter related positions with training and confidence intact. The school-year program provides real-life work experience combined with training in employability and independent living skills. The goal for each intern is competitive employment in the community at the end of the program.

Since the PLUS Company program started in 2009, thirty four students have graduated and all have found jobs utilizing the skills they acquired in the program. Proof that the program works is the high satisfaction record of employers with the program graduates. Project SEARCH facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and one-on-one job training and support.

Project SEARCH is a well-established program established at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 1996. The program operates at over 200 sites throughout the United States, England, Scotland, Canada, and Australia. The Nashua based program is the first New England based program of its kind. On the local level, the Project SEARCH at St. Joseph Hospital is a collaborative effort. A core team is made up of representatives from Gateways Community Services, the Nashua School District, NH Vocational Rehabilitation, St. Joseph Hospital, and The PLUS Company. A Business Advisory Council (BAC) also provides strong leadership and assists in helping the graduates find employment and fine tune the skills they focus on.

The program is a win-win for the interns as well as the businesses that hire the graduates. The PLUS Company pre-screens graduates to ensure they are a good match for the jobs they pursue, provides ongoing supports, and provides individual coaching and check-ins. The PLUS Company works hard to provide the tools for the clients to succeed and employers to be satisfied. In fact, most of employers feel PLUS Company clients are as good if not better than their average staff person.

To RSVP, obtain more information on the Reverse Job Fair, or job training programs for individuals with disabilities contact Lcorbett@pluscompany.org.