Project SEARCH is a program dedicated to providing education and training to young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through an innovative workforce and career development model that benefits the individual, workplace, and community. The National Institutes of Health, including the Clinical Center, has embraced this program by offering a 30-week internship in collaboration with Project SEARCH. The program is supported by the Ivymount School's Post High School Program, a community-focused life skills program that prepares students ages 18-21 for a successful transition from school to employment and adult life; and SEEC, a local nonprofit that provides community-based employment support to transitioning youth and adults.
During the 30-week program, Ivymount, and SEEC's on-site staff members provide personalized vocational support for the interns who serve in a variety of positions throughout the hospital and campus, including:
- Hospitality services,
- Patient transport,
- Data processing, and more.
The primary goal of this program is to secure competitive employment outcomes for each student graduate.
Project SEARCH is a program that provides individuals with intellectual disabilities with an opportunity to develop workforce skills and training. This video is the story of how the Clinical Center, a 200-bed research hospital at the NIH, implemented a Project SEARCH program — with remarkable results.