Project Search | Partnership Creates Opportunity: How CCWD Can Help Expand Pathways to Employment

Project Search

Partnership Creates Opportunity: How CCWD Can Help Expand Pathways to Employment

By Erica Brooks (Communications, SCVRD)

Young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can thrive in the workplace when they are given the right opportunities, the right support, and the chance to show what they can do.

Project SEARCH demonstrates what can happen when Vocational Rehabilitation, education, business, and workforce partners work together around one goal: employment.

In South Carolina, the S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation Department works alongside school districts, host businesses, service providers, and other partners to help create pathways from school to employment for young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The model gives participants the opportunity to learn in a real workplace, develop practical job skills, and gain experience through internship rotations.

For SCVRD, the connection is clear. Employment is central to our mission. Our role is to help eligible participants connect the skills and experience they gain through Project SEARCH to longer-term employment goals through vocational counseling, employment planning, services and supports, and assistance as they move toward meaningful employment. But these opportunities depend on partnership. That is where the Coordinating Council for Workforce Development can play an important role.

The CCWD brings together leaders and organizations from across South Carolina’s workforce system. This creates an opportunity to help more employers understand the value of programs such as Project SEARCH, identify businesses willing to serve as host sites, connect local workforce needs with emerging talent, and encourage collaboration among schools, workforce organizations, economic development partners, and disability employment programs.

The need is not simply for more programs. The need is for more pathways.

Young people with disabilities need access to workplaces where they can build skills, demonstrate their abilities, and be considered as part of the talent pipeline. Employers need connections with partners who can help them understand how to participate, what support is available, and how these opportunities can strengthen their workforce.

South Carolina already has strong examples of these partnerships. Current Project SEARCH sites connect school districts with host businesses across the state, including Berkeley County Government, Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, Prisma Health, Lexington Medical Center Northeast, McLeod Regional Medical Center, MUSC Health, Union Medical Center, and Prisma Health Easley Medical Campus. These sites show what is possible when businesses open their doors and partners align around employment.

They also offer families something important: hope.

For parents of a young person with an intellectual or developmental disability, the transition from school to adulthood can bring uncertainty. Will my child be able to work? Will an employer give them a chance? Will they become more independent? What happens after graduation?

A workplace-based experience can begin to change those questions. A young person who may have spent years being defined by the support they need can begin to be seen as a coworker, a contributor, and a potential employee. They can build confidence, learn workplace expectations, discover strengths, and show what they can accomplish. That shift can change expectations for families, employers, and communities. The goal is not simply participation in an internship. The goal is meaningful employment and a place in South Carolina’s workforce.

The CCWD is uniquely positioned to help foster more of these opportunities by bringing the right partners to the table, elevating successful models, strengthening connections with employers, and encouraging communities to see young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as part of South Carolina’s workforce strategy.

When workforce development includes everyone, South Carolina gains talent, businesses gain employees, and young people gain the opportunity to build a meaningful future.