Students from the Waterloo District Catholic School Board are getting the chance of a lifetime to gain real-world experience and see what it's like working in a busy hospital like Cambridge Memorial (CMH).
On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, CMH and partners Project SEARCH, KW Habilitation and the Waterloo Catholic District School Board are celebrating the successful implementation of the school-to-work program.
Currently, four students from across the region are working in the hospital in various departments.
Launched in September 2024, the program provides students with disabilities the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience and prepare them for work outside of school.
Cheryl Vandervalk, recruitment specialist and business liaison for the program saw how Project SEARCH was being implemented in other hospitals around the region and thought, "Why aren't we doing this yet?"
"I went to my leaders and asked, could we implement this here and they were all very excited to do it," said Vandervalk. "It's like building blocks. They teach them tasks and then eventually they're able to do it on their own and all of the tasks that they're learning are transferable into real life."
The goal is to get them ready to enter the workforce.
Instructor Johanna Gallagher of WDCSB works on-site at CMH, supporting interns as they learn their roles and integrate into the organization’s culture. Gallagher has been a teacher for over 17 years and has taken the opportunity to teach in the classroom at the hospital.
In class, the interns learn how to create resumes, interview skills and soft skills like how to be confident when dealing with co-workers and how to act in the workplace.
"The reason why we're partnered with something like Cambridge Memorial is, it gives us an opportunity to train the students and help them develop transitional skills for the workplace. So, the goal is not necessarily that they will work at Cambridge Memorial but it's that they'll develop these skills that they can use to get paid work in their own communities," she said.
The placement spans nine months during which interns rotate through different areas of the hospital, such as Food Services, Environmental Services, Stores, Administration, Medical Day Clinic, and Diagnostic Imaging.
Marina Pereira has been working for the past few weeks helping out in the operating room moving carts for the doctors.
"Well, there's different skills going into like, have different experiences, but I hope I learn stuff for work," said Pereira. "It's a really good program. Before, I wasn't that confident and I wasn't good with my people skills, but it's getting better."
She is looking forward to getting into diagnostic imaging rooms and seeing how their instruments are used to see babies in ultrasounds.
Robert Woods is a student at St. Benedict High School and has been working in the administration department. He is learning how to scan and file paperwork while being in an office setting.
"It's helping me discover a new learning experience that can help me actually get a job out in the community," he said.
Next year, Vandervalk hopes to grow the program by another four students and thinks they could easily accommodate up to 12 from around the region. She said every department is on board and is all wondering when they can take on an intern of their own.
One of the reasons why they chose a hospital is the different departments and the fast-paced nature of the business. Gallagher believes that this is a "life-changing opportunity" for members of our community who may be counted out from the beginning.
"Seeing these students with disabilities in the classroom, sometimes they aren't in the right setting where they can demonstrate all the skills that they have acquired over the years," she said.
"So honestly, it's life-changing. I think it's going to get our interns out into the community and to get the paid work that they deserve and that they can do."
