Project Search Instructor (Mild - Moderate Intervention Specialist)

The Educational Service Center of Northeast Ohio is seeking interested and qualified teaching candidates for a full time Mild to Moderate Intervention Specialist teaching position assigned to work at the Cleveland Clinic Campus for the 2024 -2025 school year.

The position is for a full time (185 day) employment contract with a competitive salary, STRS and fringe benefits for the 2024-2025 school year.

Project SEARCH Instructor will oversee 8-12 high school aged and above students with mild to moderate disabilities with a work/career placment and intership experience at the Cleveland Clinic campus.

Title: Instructor, Project SEARCH

Qualification: Qualified Intervention Specialist/Special Education License

Reports to: Special Education Director or Educational Service Representative

General Summary of Position:

Under the direction of the administrator and in accordance with established policies and procedures, the Project SEARCH Instructor will help develop and coordinate the Project SEARCH program and provide instruction for students enrolled. The Project SEARCH instructor delivers the employability skills curriculum and works with each intern's team to reach the goal of competitive employment.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Identify internship sites within the host business to identify internships that build a repertoire of marketable skills that lead to competitive, integrated employment. Ensure that internships include measurable skills gain that is assessed according to productivity, quality, and safety benchmarks. Develop and explore new internship opportunities.

• Facilitate and schedule regular (every 4-5 weeks) Employment Planning Meetings (EPM) with interns, families, and agency personnel to determine career interests, specific job preferences, skills, and abilities to design an individualized approach to job development.

• Assess intern progress frequently, communicate that progress regularly to the intern's team and make instructional and training adjustments and provide interventions for interns who are not making progress.

• Identify and problem solve solutions for challenges that interfere with completion of Project SEARCH and gaining and maintaining employment.

• Use universal design concepts to design and implement accommodations and adaptations needed at the internship sites aligned with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

• Maintain communication with host business in regard to policy, site expectations, and onboarding for Project SEARCH staff and interns.

• Use VocFit and other assessment tools to evaluate intern progress, communicate with the team, and identify additional skill/task development.

• With the support of a Job Placement Specialist, develop resumes/portfolios for each intern that document measurable skills gain, internship experiences, any certifications gained, recommendations, etc.

• Provide Project SEARCH employability skills curriculum in the classroom and reinforce in the internships to develop skills, knowledge and work habits leading to successful employment.

• Continuously update the Member Portal to maintain records of staff changes, interns' internship experiences and employment outcomes including jobs gained, wages, hours worked per week, benefits taken, etc.

• Facilitate and schedule Project SEARCH Steering Committee and onsite team meetings (IEPs, ETRs, Employment Planning Meetings, as needed family updates).

• Work with the business liaison, onsite team, and job placement specialist to secure competitive, integrated employment at the host business or in the community to best meets the needs of the employer and intern.

• Recruit appropriate students with disabilities for Project SEARCH program. Attend IEP meetings for possible student recruits.

• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Recommended:

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree. Valid state teaching certificate with special education license. (Many states require a Special Education Certificate with experience and/or training in transition-related coursework.) Preferred Transition to Work Endorsement.

• A minimum of two years successful, recent, and relevant experience as a classroom instructor for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the secondary level.

• Effective interpersonal communication skills that promote relationship-building with interns, families, host business staff, Project SEARCH team members, and other community agencies.

• Demonstrated ability to employ a variety of instructional strategies that connect the curriculum to the learner. Experienced in differentiating lessons and settings to meet the needs of interns and their varied learning styles. Knowledgeable of current best practices in the field of transition and supported employment.

• Knowledge or experience with partner organizations (Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, United Cerebral Palsy, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Municipal School District) preferred.

• Organizational ability, self-directedness, and initiative when given a variety of responsibilities and assigned tasks.

• Ability to make decisions and problem-solve within a team of service providers.

Working Conditions:

Pleasant environmental conditions. The nature of the interns being taught requires sound judgment to maintain a safe educational environment. This program will be housed off-site at a host business and may require travel.

The preceding data is intended to convey information about the job and its responsibilities, and is not an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, and working conditions associated with it.