For students in Spartan Project SEARCH, learning happens directly in the workplace.
The program partners with departments across Michigan State University to provide interns with hands-on job experiences that help them develop professional skills, explore career interests, and prepare for employment.
Project SEARCH is a one-year transition program that combines classroom instruction with immersive internship rotations designed to help young adults with disabilities gain marketable workplace skills.
During their second internship rotation, interns worked in departments across campus, learning alongside supervisors and mentors who provide guidance and support.
Internship sites included:
- Gallery Dining Hall
- MSU Linen Services
- Sparty’s at Hubbard
- Workshop at STEM
- MSU Child Development Center
- Biomedical Custodial Services
- Case Dining Hall
- MSU Vivarium
Each location offers unique experiences that allow interns to practice communication, time management, teamwork, and job-specific skills.
Supervisors and job coaches work closely with interns throughout each rotation, providing feedback and helping them build confidence in the workplace.
The impact of the program continues well beyond the internship year.
In the latest Graduate Spotlight, Spartan Project SEARCH celebrated Blake Blanchard, a graduate who now works with Charlotte Public Schools.
Blake has been successfully employed since September 2023 — an example of how the program’s focus on real-world experience and skill development can lead directly to meaningful employment opportunities.
Programs like Spartan Project SEARCH are designed to create these pathways, helping students transition from school to the workforce with confidence and support.
Recent Stories:
Flashing lights. Loud sirens. Big vehicles. An emergency scene can bring a lot of unfamiliar sights and sounds at once. Heartwood School’s annual Touch a Truck event gives students the opportunity to experience those things in a familiar, supportive environment—with plenty of time to explore, ask questions and meet the people behind the uniforms.
For current Spartan Project SEARCH interns, preparing for life after school can involve a lot of unknowns. Recently, several program graduates returned to visit, bringing something especially powerful with them: firsthand stories of employment, growth and life after Project SEARCH.
