High school students to intern at Sudbury's Pioneer Manor for hands-on work experience

Michelle St. Martin says she loves helping people, and a new opportunity to intern at a long-term care home in Sudbury, Ont., takes her one step closer to her dream job.

"Like I always say, you gotta chase the dream because the dream won't chase you back," she said.

St. Martin is among several high school students with the Rainbow District School Board who are starting internships in a program called Project SEARCH at the city-owned Pioneer Manor long-term care facility.

The program combines classroom instruction with hands-on training to help high school students with disabilities develop the skills they need for an entry-level job.

"They get to partner and work with residents to improve the quality of care being provided here," said Aaron Archibald, director of long-term care services with the City of Greater Sudbury.

Archibald saidthe students will learn new skills while helping the residents at Pioneer Manor.

Gerrit Train, another student intern in the program, saidthe opportunity isn't his "first rodeo" getting hands-on work experience, but thinks that overall, it's a "pretty cool opportunity."

"I'm excited to see where this can end up going," he said.

The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center launched Project SEARCH in 1996. The program is now active in more than 600 sites around the world.