Nevada agencies hire high school students with disabilities as summer Interns
Submitted by editor on Fri, 07/28/2017 - 9:39am
More than a dozen state agencies throughout Nevada are taking advantage of a unique program allowing high school students with disabilities to obtain work experience by serving as interns.
The program was created by the Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, which is a program within the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation. Through its transition program, the Bureau assists high school students who have disabilities in gaining the skills they need after high school to transition to employment or postsecondary education, said Shelley Hendren, administrator for DETR’s Rehabilitation Division which oversees the Bureau.
“We are proud of this program and have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from both the state agencies and the interns as to the value of this experience,” Hendren said. “This is an opportunity for these young people who are very capable, to learn important skills that can transfer into competitive, integrated employment in the future. This work experience will go a long way in showing potential employers what these young people have to offer in the workplace. It also helps instill self-confidence and the ability to make informed choices about their career paths.”
Through this six-week summer internship program, 43 students are working at these various state agency work sites learning specific job skills and general workplace behavior/etiquette that will help them become employed when they complete high school. The interns are paid through the program and are being provided any necessary workplace accommodations to be successful, Hendren said.
To honor the interns for their successful completion of the program, recognition ceremonies will be held August 1, 2017 at 1 p.m. at the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) offices at 500 E. Third Street, Carson City; 1325 Corporate Blvd, Reno and 3016 W. Charleston Blvd, Las Vegas Suite 200.
Some of the agencies which are participating, in addition to DETR offices in Carson City and Las Vegas, include: Pahrump Behavioral Health Clinic, State Treasurer’s office, Division of Parks, Fleet Services, UNLV Student Affairs, Nevada Highway Patrol, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Military, UNR Cooperative Extension, Department of Taxation and Nevada Department of Veterans Services.
“Our agency, as well as the students benefitted tremendously by participating in this internship program,” said Amy Garland, executive officer for the Department of Veterans Services. “The interns completed several important projects, including helping to make a big event a success. While this internship program was for the interns to learn job skills, it also taught the agency staff how to work with individuals with all types of abilities. We look forward to participating in the program again in the future.”
- Carson City
- 2017
- agency
- Amy
- Behavioral Health
- Career
- carson
- choices
- City
- Clinic
- cooperative extension
- DETR
- E
- Employers
- Employment
- event
- Experience
- feedback
- Health
- help
- Helping
- High school students
- highway
- Job
- Job skills
- learn
- learning
- Military
- need
- Nevada
- Nevada Department of Veterans Services
- Nevada Highway Patrol
- News
- Opportunity
- Parks
- positive
- program
- Recognition
- Rehabilitation
- school
- Services
- skills
- staff
- state
- state agencies
- students
- summer
- taxation
- training
- UNR
- veterans
- Education
- Las Vegas
- high school
- reno
