Neshoba Central partners with county hospital
Neshoba Central High School is partnering with the county hospital to implement Project SEARCH, a unique, business led transition-to-work program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The nation-wide program comes under the umbrella of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services.
It facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career explorations and hands-on training through worksite rotations.
Students working as interns at Neshoba General Hospital might work in such fields as food services, housekeeping, shipping and receiving, physical facilities, etc.
The intern recruitment and selection process is currently under way at Neshoba Central. Those selected will complete three 10-week job rotations over the next school year.
“The partnership with Neshoba General and Project SEARCH is an outstanding opportunity for our students to gain vital work experience.,” said Dr. Lundy Brantley, superintendent of education.
Founded in 1996, Project SEARCH’s goal is to help ensure the interns become happy, productive adults once they leave high school, said Mendy Bowen, director of Special Education at Neshoba Central.
“They will get on-the-job training and experience,” she said. “The outcome is, hopefully, some type of competitive employment.”
The program comes under the umbrella of the Mississippi Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
Neshoba General Hospital is excited about the partnership with Project SEARCH and Neshoba Central, Lee McCall, chief executive officer, said.
“We look forward to working with these students to help them develop competitive skills for future employment opportunities,” he said.
While the interns are not guaranteed jobs under the program, the focus is to ensure that they gain employable skills to utilize after high school. Interns must be at least 18 years old.
A number of hospitals across Mississippi participate in Project SEARCH, including Forrest General Hospital, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Baptist Medical Center, North Mississippi Medical Center, among others.
Bowen is eager to get the program under way at Neshoba Central, starting with the 2021-22 fall semester.
“This will give our students real world experience outside of the classroom,” she said. “They will be able to show their abilities and not just their disabilities.”
Only four to six students will be selected for the program, initially, but Bowen expects to expand in the future with 10 to 12 interns, depending on the number of opportunities available at the hospital.
The first few weeks of the program are focused on intern orientation, hands-on skill assessment and familiarization with the business environment.
They will also work on employability and functional skills for approximately one hour of their day.
During the last few months of the program, the emphasis is on refining skills, achieving the career goal and carrying out individualized job development.
By the end of the program, interns will have completed their resume and portfolio and, hopefully, be ready to enter the workforce.
Project SEARCH serves young people with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities, who are typically on an Individual Education Program and in their last year of high school eligibility.