Project SEARCH: A Deep Dive into One of the Most Successful Employment Transition Programs for People with Disabilities

For young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, entering the workforce can be one of the most difficult life stages. Countless young adults and students leave high school without a specific career direction, employer connections, or confidence to navigate the workplace. ​

This is where Project SEARCH comes into the picture. 

Project SEARCH is an international career development and employment training program, with the primary goal of securing competitive employment for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  
 
Through Project SEARCH, interns of differing ability all across the nation, get the opportunity to shatter traditional expectations by achieving competitive and meaningful employment.  
 
History 
The origins trace back to 1996 at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center where Erin Riehle, the Emergency Department Director at the time, recognized the importance for equal employment opportunities for individuals with both developmental and intellectual disabilities.  

Erin Riehle partnered with Susie Rutkowski, the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses, and together they made Project SEARCH history as the founders of the program. Instead of creating another classroom-based program, they built a model centered around total workplace immersion. Participants would learn directly inside a host business, gaining real experience in actual departments while receiving the support needed to succeed. During this period, an organization like this was revolutionary. 
 
How Project SEARCH Works 
The Transition-to-Work Program is a unique, business-led, employment preparation program that spans the duration of one academic year. Workplace immersion, classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations are the central components of the Project SEARCH model. 
 
Participants in the program receive the title of intern. Internships are the heart of the program that help interns discover their strengths, preferences, and career interests while building that large pool of transferable skills.  

Interns undergo extensive full day workshops that are designed to: 

1. Train 
2. Employ 
3. Support 

Train 
Interns experience three differing internships, each 10-12 weeks, around their local community. Here is where they develop skills for entry-level positions and improve their communication, problem-solving, teamwork, management, and preparation skills. The day includes five hours onsite with a thirty-minute lunch break.  
 
Employ 
Taking place in the final months of the program, interns begin shifting their efforts to individualized job search and development strategies. Connections with appropriate disability support services are established as interns prepare to graduate.  
 
Support 
Project SEARCH makes it apart of the mission to promise interns with a long-term employment follow-up plan in place before the intern graduates. Onsite Project SEARCH teams offer ongoing follow-up services for employed graduates to assist them with retaining their jobs. This includes periodic check-ins with both the employer and graduate. 
 
Achievements 
Project SEARCH has grown to 800+ active sites across the globe, operating across: 

• United States 
• United Kingdom 
• Canada 
• Australia 
• Europe 

Sites can be found in hospitals, colleges, airports, government agencies, and corporate settings.  
 
Project SEARCH consistently delivers strong employment outcomes: 

• 55,000+ Interns Served So Far 

• 4.8K new interns annually 

• 72% employment rate of graduates 

These strong outcomes have made Project SEARCH a credible model among educators, vocational rehabilitation agencies, and employers alike. 
 
Employers also benefit greatly from participating. Hosting a Project SEARCH site creates a pipeline of trained, motivated talent for entry-level and hard-to-fill positions. Many businesses find that interns become dependable employees with strong attendance, loyalty, and attention to detail. 
 
Project SEARCH and neba Partnership at Springfield College 
In 2017, neba became the first agency in western Massachusetts to provide a Project SEARCH program when it partnered with Springfield College. Upon meeting with DDS services and receiving the licensing, Project SEARCH was brought to Springfield College in the fall of 2017 with four interns becoming the first graduating class from Project SEARCH in 2018. 
 
neba and Springfield College had already been partnering with one another since 2001, when the On Our Way program launched. Together neba students at Springfield College have the sense of belonging to the campus community on top of receiving individual tutoring time. 
 
Paired with Project SEARCH, each intern gets 1:1 job coaching at the start, with over the shoulder support decreasing overtime as skills grow. neba continues to provide long-term support to students. Rotation choices are based on each intern’s skills, experience, and preferences. 
 
Every Monday through Friday, interns work from 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM, starting and ending the day with 45-minute classroom sessions where they receive coaching and instruction on social and employment skills. 
 
Interns learn through direct experience that they can work a bare minimum of 20 hours a week with no issues. As they practice working a part time job, confidence and ability to maintain employment skyrockets, “anybody can get a job, but can you keep a job? We help interns maintain employment," said Ruth Poirier, Division Supervisor and Project SEARCH Program Coordinator. 
 
Over the Spring 2026 semester, recreational therapy practices have occurred on Friday afternoons with collaboration from Springfield College students in Rachel Keyworth, the Program Director of Recreation Industries and Therapeutic Recreation, classes. This new addition to the Project SEACH program, heightens the student community life on campus as together students and interns conduct social activity workshops that practice team building and communication guidance.   
 
History has shown successful placement rate after intern's graduate from Project SEARCH as in 2025, neba proudly received the 100% Excellent Employment Outcome Award from Project SEARCH.  
 
"It's a very rewarding feeling to see the growth and overcoming challenges as these young adults enter the workforce,” Poirier shared.  
 
Program Highlights 

• Onsite job training at a host site, combining classroom learning with practical work experience. 

• Nine-month intensive program dedicated to career exploration and skill-building. 

• Personalized support from instructors, job coaches, and mentors to ensure success. 

• Focus on achieving paid, integrated community employment for all participants. 

NOTE: Project SEARCH and neba also partner with Mass General Brigham Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, MA.

Why Project SEARCH Matters in 2026 
The current labor market is vast and within this large scope of labor, there is more demand for reliable workers. Combined with today’s increased focus on better disability hiring practices… 
Project SEARCH accomplishes: 

• Helping employers find their next hire. 

• Helping young adults launch careers. 

• Helping communities become more inclusive. 

 
Project SEARCH is one of the most successful disability employment transition programs ever created. 
 
Its work is all made possible due to one simple belief: 
People with disabilities have the right to choose a path toward education and employment.