School to Career

Project SEARCH is a one-year, on-site job training program for students in their last year of high school. It combines classroom instruction with practical job training within a medical setting, with support from a KenCrest on-site educator and job coach.

Project SEARCH was born in 1996 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Nursing Administrator Erin Riehle became frustrated with staff turnovers and wanted to create a better solution: working with young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The program would have a twofold process, providing young adults with first-rate on-site job training and solving staffing issues.

Our Project SEARCH program, located in Phoenixville, PA, is a partnership with Phoenixville Hospital – Tower Health, KenCrest Employment Services, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Chester County MH/IDD, Montgomery County Office of Developmental Disabilities, and school districts.

Our Alternative Careers Education Supports (ACES) program provides school districts with third-party support services designed specifically for people in the 18-21 “bridge” or "transition" years to assist them in developing and refining the skills needed for successful employment outcomes.

These are best suited to students who have completed all their academic requirements, have one or more years remaining before exiting high school, and are interested in community-based activities and employment skill-building.

ACES combines classroom activities focused on job readiness with various community-based opportunities, including volunteering and career exploration visits to community businesses. The ACES program is available at Norristown Area High School in Montgomery County, PA. We welcome partnerships with additional school districts to bring this unique experience to more students.

We partner with OVR to provide two services: paid work experiences and job shadowing. In a paid work experience, a young person will work 40 hours within a community-based business with job coaching support and receive an hourly stipend. In job shadowing, a young person will visit a community-based company and observe an employee's work to understand better the job and the job duties every day in that role. Any youth interested in these services should discuss this option with their OVR counselor for a referral to KenCrest.