Work Readiness Academy
January 2024 Newsletter
I hope the first few weeks of 2024 have treated you all well! I am proud of the collective efforts by our students to continue to work hard to develop critical skills for employment - both in the classroom and at their Work-Based Learning experiences. We are looking forward to our WBL rotations which tentatively begin the week of February 20th (we are closed on the 19th). January also saw the WRA survive its first snowfall of the season! The winter weather brings additional safety considerations as it relates to traveling to and from our internship sites...and the commute for our Project SEARCH students who use NJ Transit or Access Link. I want to thank our students and staff for their flexibility on those days, and to Rachel, Sharlene, Jodi & Jourdan for quickly identifying engaging and meaningful alternative programming when needed.
I am also very excited to share that the Work Readiness Academy (and Project SEARCH) have been named a sub-recipient of a $2.75 million grant that Atlantic Health System (the parent company for Overlook Medical Center) has received from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) as part of the department's Nursing Expansion Grant Program. The WRA will receive a total of $256,000 over four years to help expand our Work-Based Learning of young adults with disabilities at Overlook Medical Center & the Overlook satellite campus in Union, New Jersey. Students from the WRA will be piloting internship experiences at the Overlook-Union campus beginning in late February.
The grant will also fund the establishment of Atlantic Health System’s Pathway to Ensuring Access and Clinical Excellence in Nursing (AHS PEACE), an innovative, new program designed to expand and diversify the pipeline of nursing professionals, practicing at the top of their licensure, to fill positions that are in high demand. AHS PEACE will institute professional pathways for Registered Nurses (RNs) in acute care and critical care specialties, as well as development of clinical pathways for nursing assistants, and other entry-level clinical positions that only require a high-school diploma (i.e patient transporters, patient care representatives, radiology technicians, etc). Included among the candidates for these positions will be candidates from historically marginalized and underrepresented populations. We are thrilled to be a part of this initiative!
Please enjoy the rest of this month's newsletter!
Sincerely,
Josh Bornstein, Director
UCESC Work Readiness Academy
How to Contact Us!
As a reminder, in the event that your child will be absent, arriving late, or picked up early, please call our main number at (908) 633-2704 and speak with our secretary Maureen Wakeman. If it is before 8am, please leave a message. You can also email Maureen at mwakeman@ucesc.org
We are please to recognize Joe Agar as our Student of the Month for January 2024! Staff nominated Joe because he has demonstrated incredible growth, initiative, confidence and perserverance. Joe is committed to achieving his goals, including finding a new part time job. He has also shown leadership in his role in the Can-Do Food Services Programand has successfully completed his first college class last semester and is enrolled in more classes this Winter. Finally, Joe has shown great improvements in his attendance.
Way to go, Joe!
Meet Nicole Dellavecchia, Teaching Assistant (Part-Time)
How long have you worked for UCESC?
I have worked at the WRA for almost 4 months!
What do you love best about your job?
I love the people! I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive group of co-workers and the students are such a joy to be around! It’s what makes the WRA such a special place.
What do you like to do in your free time?
My free time is mostly spent with family or cheering on my daughters at their various activities. When we have downtime we like to cook/bake together. I have fond memories of helping my father in the kitchen growing up, so I’m hoping to create that for my girls as well.
What it something that people would be suprised to know about you?
My first language was not English! I spoke only Portuguese until I started school.
Strength N Fitness Club (SNFC) of Cranford has been a long-time partner of the Work Readiness Academy. Since our program's inception, SNFC has graciously provided the WRA with a discounted monthly rate that allows us to bring a small group of the students to the gym every Friday.
SNFC is a community fitness club that provides a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere, surrounded with the most technologically advanced weightlifting and cardio equipment from Star Trac, Cybex, and LifeFitness. This family owned and operated fitness club includes a full service gym, sports conditioning, personal training, batting cages, youth camps, soccer, baseball & softball lessons!
We are grateful to Hege, the Petschow Family & the entire staff at SNFC for making our students and staff feel welcome each week!
As we welcome in the new year at the Work Readiness Academy our students have been hard at work exploring new topics, concepts and ideas, as well as practicing the new skills they are learning as they continue to work towards achieving goals set for 2024!
This month we have taken a closer look at both leadership and courage. Lessons have been filled with real-life examples and how we can demonstrate bravery and confidence across a variety of settings. While taking a look inward, our students have been asked to self-reflect and connect on how it feels to have courage and what the result of a courageous action looks like. How to Dance in Ohio was a great example of how to demonstrate both courage and leadership, and has become the inspiration for our first ever student lead governing body! Classes will be electing a representative to relay important information, plan events and present ideas/suggestions to administration monthly. In addition, students have been investigating effective meal planning and preparation and how to apply those skills to our knowledge about nutrition and healthy living.
As we begin to prepare for a new work based learning experience next month, students have been creating updated resumes that exemplify the new skills they have attained and the professional relationships they have formed this school year. The new year is off to an amazing start!
Rachel Richer
Supervisor of Instruction
Happy New Year! The interns have transitioned into their second internship rotations at Overlook Medical Center. They are working on various employability skills, such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving. In the classroom, the lessons have focused on topics that have helped the students to grow personally and professionally. Some of these have included setting goals, establishing healthy habits, writing professional emails and perspective taking. Guest speakers included staff from the Respiratory Therapy Department who taught the students about the dangers of smoking, as well as employees from Patient Admissions who explained the importance of HIPPA and keeping patient information confidential. We are looking forward to working with Project Hire’s new job developer, Abiola Daniels. Abi will be meeting with each of the students to learn more about their individual strengths, preferences, interests and learning needs. This important information will help her to plan for employment.
- Jourdan Spencer, Project SEARCH Instructor for UCESC
Project SEARCH Application Now Available
The online application for the Project SEARCH at Overlook Medical Center Class of 2025 is now available and can be accessed by clicking the link below:
https://forms.gle/JJmq3rnpPeV1zXA97
Interested students and their families must attend one of our upcoming virtual information sessions:
Upcoming Dates:
Tuesday, February 13th at 7pm
Tuesday, March 12th at 7pm
Tuesday, April 16th at 7pm
Please email Josh Bornstein at jbornstein@ucesc.org with your preferred date and we will send you the Google Meet link for the requested session.
About the Work Readiness Academy
The Work Readiness Academy serves students ages 18-21 with disabilities and provides a comprehensive employment training experience that incorporates both classroom-based instruction and community-based work-learning experiences. While in the training classroom, students work cooperatively with similar aged peers to learn critical skills related to employment and socialization. Students also work on career exploration and planning, including the development of a person-centered, post-secondary vision and plan with clear goals and action steps. Program staff remain on-site during the internships to provide and fade support and assistance as needed. Students also participate in field trips focused on career discovery, independent living skills, recreation and independent travel training.
For more information or to make a student referral, please email Josh Bornstein at jbornstein@ucesc.org
Email: jbornstein@ucesc.org
Website: https://www.ucesc.org/schools/the_work_readiness_academy
Location: 970 Suburban Road, Union, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-633-2704