Hackensack University Medical Center and Holy Name Medical Center plan to offer year-long job training programs to students with disabilities.
Bergen County is partnering with Hackensack University Medical Center and Holy Name Medical Center on a jobs program for people with disabilities. HACKENSACK -- Two local hospitals are partnering with Bergen County to provide job training to adults with disabilities.
Students of Project Search, targeted at 20-year-olds, will attend year-long programs at Hackensack University Medical Center and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck.
They'll undergo employee orientation and skills assessment and develop career plans, the county said in a press release. Students will also take employment skills classes and take part in internships.
Aside from the hospitals, the Bergen County Workforce Development Board runs Project Search with the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services and the state Department of Developmental Disabilities. The county launched Project Search in 2015 with a $30,000 budget allocation.
Twenty-four adults will take part in the hospital pilot program.
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Students with disabilities age out of the school system at age 21. Many families face difficulty in facing life after graduation, County Executive James Tedesco said.
"This program will open doors and expand the range of possibilities for both students and employers," he said.
Project Search participants have a 73 percent employment rate since its launch, partnering with businesses like the Residence Inn Marriott in Saddle River, the county said. Statewide, individuals with disabilities have an employment rate of 40 percent.
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