Project Search

Project Search History & Mission

Project SEARCH was developed in 1996 by nurse J. Erin Riehle, who was the emergency department director at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center at the time. As the flagship program, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital provides technical assistance and overall leadership to Project SEARCH worldwide. Project SEARCH has grown to include hundreds of programs across the United States and internationally.

Internship Benefits

Interns who complete Project SEARCH see many lifelong benefits:

• Confidence in their abilities to learn job skills and become a self-advocate
• A guided transition from student life to working adult life with lifelong vocational skills
• The opportunity to learn what the intern desires in a prospective job after the completed internship
• Increased work ethic, relationship-building skills and self-esteem
• A brighter outlook for the future as a gainfully employed and independent adult
• The tools needed to set goals and turn experiences into résumé and job interview assets

Job Descriptions

Project SEARCH host businesses provide job internships and an on-site area for interns to meet daily with their instructors to learn team-building and workplace communication skills. The internships available are custodial, maintenance, office administrative and light assembly.

Become An Intern

Project SEARCH couldn’t offer interns lifelong vocational skills and self-esteem without support from school districts, parents, state and local funding and support providers, and local businesses.

For Project SEARCH to succeed, interns need a passion to improve their vocational skills and a desire to work.
Individuals must apply for the program, have appropriate hygiene, some communication skills and be determined to learn new employability skills.

If you would like to participate in our program, please download, complete and submit the intern application below to be considered for next year’s Project SEARCH internships.

Project SEARCH Application