Project SEARCH Transition-to-Work Program is a one-year employment preparation program that combines classroom instruction and career exploration through on-site internships.

• Project SEARCH program is operated in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, & Staten Island.
• This program is available only to students in their last year of high school in New York City.

Project SEARCH is a one-year, school-to-work high school transition program that takes place entirely in the workplace. Total workplace immersion at a host employer facilitates classroom instruction, career exploration, and relevant job skills training through strategically designed internships, with a focus on individualized job development. The program takes place during the last year of school and is available for up to 12 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities at each Project SEARCH site. Following the school calendar, the internships begin in September and end in June.

Under the program, the host employer provides internship opportunities and leads monthly steering committee meetings (comprised of members from the host employer, vocational rehabilitation agencies, community service providers, and the Board of Education) during which the members discuss goals, progress, and support needs. The involvement of these committee members facilitates:

• Relationships with the families
• The early establishment of the student’s eligibility for vocational services
• Collaboration with teachers while students work toward their goals
• The creation of job development plans for the students prior to graduation

Schools can make a referral for a student to participate in the Project SEARCH program. After being assessed, students are selected following an interview conducted by the host employer, the lead school, the vocational rehabilitation counselor, and the Day Services program.  This interviewing process starts in the year prior to the student’s last year of school.