Young adults find success in internship program

Menomonee Falls - Students with learning disabilities going off into the world as young adults don't have to do it alone.

Thanks to Project Search - a collaborative effort sponsored by Easter Seals and aided by Children's Hospital and ProHealth Care - select Menomonee Falls graduates have been able to transition from school to an internship, ultimately acquiring a job.

The School District is partnering with this effort to help these students find success by hosting a Transition Fair Wednesday to help students with disabilities and their families make connections to state, county and community resources and services to aid them into adulthood.

During the Menomonee Falls School Board meeting Monday, Beth Lohmann, director of workforce development for Easter Seals, introduced three interns from Menomonee Falls who are participating in Project Search and finding success in the medical profession.

Following the internships, Easter Seals and Project Search staff, will help them secure a job.

"Working together really makes this program work," Lohmann said.

The interns follow workplace criteria in landing a spot in health care, from the application process to going through an interview. Lohmann said it is the full immersion in this process that makes the program successful. The internships span the length of a school year and the interns go through three different rotations to learn various skills.

"We are looking to build transferable skills as the end goal so they have all the skills to get a job," Lohmann said.

Hosting the Transition Fair is one way the School District is working to expand the effort that Project Search started in 2002, said High School Principal Cory Golla.

"The goal of the district is to partner with the community and help our students find direction with goals and go out in the community and work fields to have those experiences to see if they are on the right path," he said.

To learn more about Project Search, visit wi-se.easterseals.com.