Bon Secours St. Francis Health System recently celebrated the graduation of its Project SEARCH interns.
The program provides internships to high school students with disabilities to prepare for employment after graduation. Eleven interns in the class of 2024 celebrated completing the program during an event May 22.
In the Project SEARCH program, students participate in intern rotations at the hospital to gain real-life work experience. Eighty-six percent of the program’s interns have found employment after graduation and 19 interns have been hired by Bon Secours.
“Hospital internships challenge interns to develop transferable skills that improve self-confidence, instill a sense of pride, and lead to independence,” said Allison Fleahman, Bon Secours St. Francis workforce coordinator.
Bon Secours offers the program in partnership with the Greenville County School District and South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation. The students learn in the Joseph J. Pazdan Project SEARCH Center, which includes classroom instruction and training spaces.
