May 15, 2015

by: Emily Hastings

UCP Summer Internship Programs

UCP of Greater Cleveland’s summer internship programs are fast approaching! During the months of June, July and August, transition-age high school students with disabilities work with UCP staff to learn various vocational skills and appropriate work behaviors. Through these programs, students with a variety of disabilities are exposed to different work settings and are able to begin exploring career options. With opportunities ranging from data entry, food service, maintenance and customer service, the students will be able to gain experience in a variety of work settings depending on the business they choose to partner with. The programs are employment-focused with some classroom instruction based on the “Skills to Pay the Bills” curriculum, developed by the Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy.

Program One: Summer Youth Work Experience

Duration: 5 weeks (one week of classroom instruction, four weeks of work experience), 20 hours per week

During the Summer Youth Work Experience, students participate in internship-style work experiences at a business in the community:

• Great Lakes Science Center – Work in customer service as a guest services attendant
• Aramark at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo – Assist with light food prep, cleaning food areas and working in concession stands
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History – Work as part of the “Green Team” helping to reduce waste by educating guests about recycling
• Ronald McDonald House – Help with room preparation and kitchen assistance
• Pleasantview Care Center – Assist with housekeeping, laundry and senior activities

Program Two: Career Exploration

Duration: 3 weeks, 15 hours per week

The Career Exploration program is geared toward younger high school students who are interested in learning more about what it means to have a job after highschool. This program is held at the UCP of Greater Cleveland main campus and will focus on classroom instruction, job shadowing different departments at UCP and tours of local businesses such as Oatey, Reese Pharmaceutical Company and Aramark.

If you are interested in learning more about either of these programs, please contact Sharon Meixner, Transition Services Manager, at smeixner@ucpcleveland.org or (216) 791-8363 ext. 1261.

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