Twice as nice!

Adam Bean sits at his desk at the Bucks IU where he is employed as a Human Resources Assistant, Credentialing
and Compliance.

For the second year in a row, the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (Bucks IU) Project SEARCH Team has been awarded the ‘Excellence in Employment’ Award. The Bucks IU proudly operates Project SEARCH Bucks, a nine-month internship program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have a goal of achieving competitive employment. Project SEARCH Bucks is one of 750 Project SEARCH programs worldwide and has only been eligible for this award for two years – winning both times.

“Winning the Employment Excellence Award for Project SEARCH two years in a row signifies a remarkable achievement in supporting neurodiverse individuals to gain competitive employment,” stated Rebekah Pinto, Project SEARCH Bucks Instructor. “This recognition highlights the program’s consistent excellence in preparing participants for the workplace, demonstrating a strong commitment to providing exceptional training, support and employment opportunities. It reflects the dedication and effectiveness of the team in creating an inclusive work environment and achieving outstanding outcomes for its participants.”

Project SEARCH recognizes program sites for the given year that have achieved between 70 to100% competitive employment placements, the percentage of students in the program who are employed nine months post-graduation for at least 16 hours/week at minimum wage or higher. The Bucks IU won this award for their very first cohort of students in the program who graduated in 2021 and achieved competitive employment in 2022, and now again for their second cohort who graduated in 2022 and achieved employment in 2023. Bucks County Project SEARCH students have been hired for a wide variety of positions including the supply line for American Safety, working in housekeeping at Doylestown Hospital, doing clerical/customer service work for the Montgomery County Recreation Center and stocking shelves at McCaffrey’s Food Markets.

Adam Bean, a successful graduate the Project SEARCH Bucks Program, is meaningfully employed as a Human Resources Assistant, Credentialing and Compliance, for the Bucks IU. Adam proudly speaks of his internship experience in the Bucks County Board of Assessment, Register of Wills, and Prothonotary Offices where he checked documents for dates and completeness, scanned documents, did filing, pulled permits, delivered mail and more. Of his current job Adam says, “My experience and training in Project SEARCH definitely helped me get this job where I check dates and documents for anything missing and help scan materials and do filing.” Adam’s coworkers love his positive attitude, thoroughness and reliability.

The Bucks County Project SEARCH program operates out of the County of Bucks Administrative Offices and Justice Center in Doylestown PA. These government offices act as the Host Businesses for the internships providing opportunities for a total immersion in the workplace by the interns. The program facilitates the teaching and learning process as well as the acquisition of employability and marketable work skills. Interns participate in three internships to explore a variety of career paths and work with their team to refine their employment goal and obtain feedback relative to their performance on the job. Their team includes their family, an instructor and jobs skill trainer both from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, and personnel from the Bucks County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Programs, County of Bucks Administrative Offices and Justice Center, and Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.