Niagara Health welcomed the second cohort of Project SEARCH interns to the Welland Hospital. The interns, pictured here with their certificates of participation, are (from left) Sam Bibeau, Caylee Boutin and Kaitlen Scott.
Niagara Health continued to show itself as a leader in experiential education Wednesday when it welcomed a second cohort of students to the Project SEARCH program.
The four students, from Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Csc MonAvenir), will participate in three 10-week internships with Environmental Services, Dietary Services, Medical Device Reprocessing and the Extended Care Unit at the Welland Hospital, honing relevant skills to help them in their careers when they finish their placements.
Project SEARCH is an internationally successful school-to-work model for young people with varying developmental or learning abilities during their final year of high school. Students are fully immersed in in-demand labour roles with a leading community organization. They also learn employability skills and plan their careers with guidance from March of Dimes Canada, the local vocational rehabilitation services counsellors.
“We’re thrilled to welcome this new group of students from Csc MonAvenir to experience working in healthcare at Niagara Health,” said Amanda Basilone, Manager of Recruitment and Volunteer Services at Niagara Health. “This second cohort is a testament to the success of the partnership between Niagara Health, Csc MonAvenir, Project SEARCH and March of Dimes, and what students bring to delivering high-quality care. It’s been exciting to see more departments welcome students for experiential learning opportunities that will set them up for success in today’s job market.”
Niagara Health is the first organization in Niagara to host a Project SEARCH program. The partnership with CscMonAvenir also makes it the first French-language version of the program in the world. In the process, Niagara Health has helped to shape the Project SEARCH curriculum in French, creating equity by paving the way for more students to participate, said Molly Michels, Project SEARCH program specialist.
Project SEARCH has about 5,000 participants worldwide. It also has 50,000 alumni over 27 years in operation.
“The Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir is pleased to take part once again in the Project SEARCH initiative, a hands-on work experience program that prepares young people living with disabilities for the labour market when they graduate,” said Nicole Mollot, Csc MonAvenir Director of Education. “The collaboration between Niagara Health, Csc MonAvenir and March of Dimes has allowed this program to continue this year and to prosper. We are proud to be the first French-language school board in Ontario, and worldwide, to partner with Project SEARCH. I wish much success to the students who will participate in the program this year."
Niagara Health helped usher the first cohort of four students toward career paths filled with greater opportunity after placements with Dietary Services and Environmental Services at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines earlier this year. Their impact on the organization led to the expansion of Project SEARCH to the Medical Device Reprocessing and the Extended Care Unit.
Fiona Peacefull, Executive Vice-President of Human Resources, highlighted the importance of the roles that new students Alice Audet, Sam Bibeau, Caylee Boutin and Kaitlen Scott will play during their time at the hospital until they graduate in June.
The students will “impact every moment of every day for our patients, and their colleagues as well,” Peacefull said at Wednesday’s welcome ceremony.
She also reminded them to say hello to the people they encounter in their day-to-day activities, support their coworkers and learn names.
“It’s such a privilege to work in a hospital because you can make a difference at any moment during someone’s day,” Peacefull said.
