Herkimer Community College

The program started in August of 2016 and is a collaboration between Career Connections, the employment division of Arc Herkimer, ACCES-VR, OPWDD and Herkimer County Community College in Herkimer, NY. The 40-week partnership has an intensive focus on achieving competitive employment and maximum independence for each participant. The program provides educational and vocational internships for young people with disabilities leading to a career path of their choice. Each intern participates in daily classroom instruction and gains hands-on work experience by rotating among three unique unpaid internships throughout the academic year. Intern positions at the college are jobs that are complex and systematic giving individual choice of various work experiences available at the college and in the community. Skills learned by the interns will be marketable in their search for community employment. Graduation for the interns is in May with certificates of achievements from Herkimer College.

Types of Internships

Center for Global Learning and Community Education: Peer mentors who work with international students/clerical/excel spreadsheets/student information/data entry

Athletic Department: Fitness Center Attendant/utility/clerical

Center for Student Leadership and Involvement: game room/blood drives/Alumni Hall activities

Dining/Food Service: kitchen/utility/food prep

Residence Life and Student Housing Assistant: documenting receipt and retrieval of packages for students/utility/clerical

RTV Services: Coordinator of RTV Services/assist college students with pick-up and drop off of equipment/inventory of equipment/computer/projector set-ups on campus

Child Care Center: Online training/walking trips with children/assist with outdoor games/gym activities/attend field trips/give classroom lessons/cleaning and meal prep tasks

Typical Daily Schedule

8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Employability Skills
9:30 a.m. Internship Site
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12 p.m. Internship Site
2 p.m. Review, Plan, Discussion of Today's Activities
3 p.m. Depart