Walker talks up workforce program in return in Eau Claire

April 11--Gov. Scott Walker stopped in Eau Claire Monday afternoon to tour Project SEARCH -- an internship program for students with disabilities -- after its first seven months of operation here.

"What I love about Project SEARCH is that it helps people identify the unique abilities you have as opposed to focusing on the disability," Walker told 11 interns at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. "Each of you has unique abilities that are not only unique to you as a person but can uniquely benefit an employer."

The program aims to connect adult students who have physical, intellectual or learning disabilities with a nine-month internship to help improve their employability. Project SEARCH began in 1996 and operates in nearly 400 locations around the world and kicked off in Eau Claire in September, according to a handout from the organization. Walker's visit to Eau Claire followed similar stops in Green Bay and Wisconsin Rapids.

Walker has publicly cited workforce development as a top priority in the next budget. His proposed biennial budget would include $6.1 million in awards for school districts that place students with disabilities in employment and $1.5 million for the development of school district efforts to connect students with disabilities to employment opportunities, according to a release from the governor's office.

Eau Claire's Project SEARCH is led by former special education teacher Tim Burns, who says his students have progressed significantly since starting the program.

"There's a tremendous amount of growth from the vocational standpoint, but also even from the maturity standpoint," Burns said. "Day one, when they came into my classroom, one of the biggest messages I talked about was that this is an adult program. That maturity piece has come a long way."

With assistance from job coaches provided by L.E. Phillips Career Development Center, the young adults receive instruction for an hour each day before heading off to their jobs in the hospital. Some of the jobs include working in the kitchens or security -- all students will have completed three job rotations during their time in the program.

Steven Folstad, 21, is one of the students in this year's program. He's worked as a dishwasher and also in the child care center, and said he's happy to be working for the same organization where his older brother works in the pharmacy.

"I like it a lot," Folstad said. "It's good for me to work so I can learn new skills and tasks."

Contact: 715-830-5828, lauren.french@ecpc.com, @LaurenKFrench on Twitter

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