I’ve worked with many interns over the years and most of them have been good students and willing to learn whatever we put in front of them. An internship is designed to help students get real world experience. It definitely gives them an advantage over someone who hasn’t been able to get that experience especially when applying for jobs which in this economy are at a premium.
I know when we hire someone, we are always looking for whatever experience they have to help us know what kind of an employee they will be. Can they get the job done? Do they know what they are doing? At least with an internship, you know they’ve been exposed to the realities of the job and more than likely do have at least some experience in doing the job.
But what about someone who is intellectually or developmentally disabled? Who hires them? Who gives them that real world experience so they can have a job and be able to be independent just like the rest of us? In this week’s video blog, I’ll introduce you to a couple of young men who despite their disabilities, are learning through internships about real life work experience and discovering the satisfaction of a job well done.
~Alisa Hines