The Employment Here and Now program matched eligible people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, aged 18-26, to unpaid internships at Temple University Hospital and Temple's University Main Campus in Philadelphia with a goal of achieving long-term, part-time employment.
Funded through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the Employment Here and Now! Program recruited candidates with a significant disability—which creates a barrier to employment—who wanted to work and benefited from vocational rehabilitation services.
Participant Experience
Participants selected an internship position based on their skills and interests at Temple Hospital or Temple University Main Campus, and rotated positions every three months to determine which position would best fit their professional objectives.
Each participant received job coach services. All services were provided on an individual basis, tailored to the individual's needs to achieve a specific vocational goal.
Support
The 2020-21 pandemic and subsequent shutdown significantly changed the operation and outcome of this program. In April 2021, the Employment Here and Now program received support from the Lenfest Foundation to Temple's Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative, which helped plan its final year.
Funded by Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.