For the second year in a row, the Bucks County Intermediate Unit Project SEARCH Team has been awarded the Excellence in Employment Award. The Bucks IU operates Project SEARCH Bucks, a nine-month internship program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have a goal of achieving competitive employment. Project SEARCH Bucks is one of 750 Project SEARCH programs worldwide and has been eligible for this award for only two years, winning both times.
“Winning the Employment Excellence Award for Project SEARCH two years in a row signifies a remarkable achievement in supporting neurodiverse individuals to gain competitive employment,” said Rebekah Pinto, Project SEARCH Bucks instructor. “This recognition highlights the program’s consistent excellence in preparing participants for the workplace, demonstrating a strong commitment to providing exceptional training, support and employment opportunities. It reflects the dedication and effectiveness of the team in creating an inclusive work environment and achieving outstanding outcomes for its participants.”
Project SEARCH recognizes program sites for the given year that have achieved 70 to 100 percent competitive employment placements — the percentage of students in the program who are employed nine months post-graduation for at least 16 hours per week at minimum wage or higher.
The Bucks IU won this award for its very first cohort of students in the program who graduated in 2021 and achieved competitive employment in 2022, and now again for its second cohort who graduated in 2022 and achieved employment in 2023. Bucks County Project SEARCH students have been hired for a wide variety of positions, including the supply line for American Safety, working in housekeeping at Doylestown Hospital, doing clerical/customer service work for the Montgomery County Recreation Center, and stocking shelves at McCaffrey’s Food Markets.
Adam Bean, a successful graduate of the Project SEARCH Bucks program, is meaningfully employed as a human resources assistant, credentialing and compliance, for the Bucks IU. Bean proudly speaks of his internship experience in the Bucks County Board of Assessment, Register of Wills and Prothonotary Offices, where he checked documents for dates and completeness, scanned documents, did filing, pulled permits, delivered mail and more.
Of his current job, Bean said, “My experience and training in Project SEARCH definitely helped me get this job where I check dates and documents for anything missing, and help scan materials and do filing.” His coworkers enjoy his positive attitude, thoroughness and reliability.
The Bucks County Project SEARCH program operates out of the County of Bucks Administrative Offices and Justice Center in Doylestown. These government offices act as the Host Businesses for the internships, providing opportunities for a total immersion in the workplace by the interns. The program facilitates the teaching and learning process, as well as the acquisition of employability and marketable work skills. Interns participate in three internships to explore a variety of career paths, and work with their team to refine their employment goal and obtain feedback relative to their performance on the job. Their team includes their family, an instructor and jobs skill trainer, both from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, and personnel from the Bucks County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Programs, County of Bucks Administrative Offices and Justice Center, and Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Visit BucksIU.org or call 215-348-2940 for more information.
