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Student Information

If you are a student with an intellectual or developmental disability whose main goal is employment after high school and could benefit from career exploration, Project SEARCH might be the right choice for you. Project SEARCH is a unique 10-month business-partnered transition program for high school students to immerse themselves into an organization while learning employability skills through a variety of worksite internship rotations. Individualized internships are based on a student’s experiences, strengths, and skills. Students are provided with support in the form of accommodation, adaptations, and on-the-job coaching.

Eligibility Criteria

We welcome applications from students currently registered in a DCDSB secondary school who meet the following eligibility criteria. Applicants must:

Be 17 - 20 years of age at the start of the program, and going into their last year of high school
Be identified with an intellectual and/or developmental disability and on an Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Be moving straight to employment upon graduation from the program (i.e., not attending post-secondary education)
Agree that the Project SEARCH school year will be the last year of student services and that student will not be returning to high school upon completion of the program
Be available to work at the conclusion of the program
Have the desire to work competitively
Use appropriate social and communication skills in the workplace
Be able to take direction from supervisors and change behaviour as indicated
Use public transportation when available, and participate in travel training to ensure success in using public transportation or Wheeltrans independently
If required, be willing to obtain a Vulnerable Sector Screening
Complete occupational health requirements/forms, including immunizations, COVID-19 vaccinations, Two-step TB test, masking, COVID-19 rapid antigen testing, etc. as required by the host business

A Typical Day

Below is a sample of both the curriculum and internship schedules.

Intern Stories from Project SEARCH

Project SEARCH operates worldwide at 731 job sites in 10 countries. 80% of Project SEARCH graduates achieve employment, with over 70% meeting their strict criteria for competitive jobs!

Learn more about DCDSB student experiences with Project SEARCH:

Watch Sebastian's video below: