Special needs students who reach 18 in the Berkeley County School District have something to celebrate. Those who don't attend college or trade school can now participate in a well-tested program begun at Cincinnati Children's Hospital more than twenty years ago. It will allow individuals into "a school-to-work program that takes place at the workplace, where the students get classroom instruction and hands-on training." In this case, the Berkeley Council has stepped up to the plate and will begin the program at its county administration building.
"The immersion program targets students who are at least 18 and in their last year of school. Berkeley will start with about eight students who will be chosen through an application and screening process."
“'These are the kids that truly are sitting in some of our self-contained classrooms that are not earning a diploma but they have potential and they have skills,' said Kelly Wulf, district director of special services. 'Their strength may not be reading, but their strength can be fixing a car or doing something else.'”
"The students will start their day in a conference room at the county administration building that will double as a classroom and then spend the bulk of their day at work in any of the county’s departments. They will have three unpaid internships during the year that could be doing office work or manual labor."
“'What we know about our kids is that it might take them a little bit longer to learn a skill, but once they learn it, they know it and they can do it with true precision,' Wulf said."
“'To me this is just such a valuable experience for our kids that we should have one in every industry in the county,' Wulf said. 'It shows that the county is invested in our kids, and if the county can do it, hopefully other businesses will see that they can do it, too.'”
More power to them! Let's hope other employers are paying attention.
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