You can have a job!  You can find the right job that fits your interests and abilities, and with the right match of supports and training, you can achieve your goal of employment.

We connect you to the supports needed for working, whether you are preparing to look for work, looking for work now, or already working.  Take a look at some of the programs and supports that can help you follow the path to employment success.

Project SEARCH

In January 2011 Project SEARCH will arrive in the Monadnock Region at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth Hitchcock-Keene.  Project SEARCH is a vocational training program for individuals receiving services from Monadnock Developmental Services who want to work in healthcare or a related field.

The foundation of Project SEARCH is in workplace immersion: Participants receive skills training through a series of internships, and they become part of the team at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth Hitchcock-Keene, while receiving individualized training and job placement support.

The first Project SEARCH class in the Monadnock Region will be held from January 26, 2011 through the end of the school year in June.  The next class will be a full school-year long, beginning in September 2011, ending in June 2012.

Download the Project SEARCH brochure

First Course Culinary Training

First Course is a 16-week culinary job training program that teaches the skills required to secure employment in the kitchens of hotels, restaurants, nursing homes, schools and businesses.

The comprehensive training program covers all the basics for entering the culinary field. Trainees receive instruction in both the classroom and hands on in the kitchen, a combination that provides for enhanced learning and skill development.  First Course trainees learn the kitchen, interview and life skills to begin working as a prep cook, kitchen assistant, wait person, cashier or server Trainees learn from professional chefs with decades of experience.

Our talented staff teaches the skills and pleasures of cooking to trainees of all backgrounds and abilities. And trainees gain practical work experience during internships in professional kitchens throughout the Monadnock Region.  Internships are fundamental to the training, broadening the education they receive in our classrooms and kitchens

First Course is a licensed by the New Hampshire Postsecondary Education Commission and our staff have years of experience in the food service field. First Course graduates receive a certificate of completion and are ready to enter the workforce at the end of the program.

Read more on the First Course website

Self-Employment MOB

The MOB – My Own Business/My Own Boss – is a group of individuals who are starting up or growing their own businesses.   MOB members are pursuing their goal of becoming financially independent by earning money through self-employment.

Through the MOB program individuals and their support team about the steps in developing the business concept, navigating the business components, and accessing the supports in the community to develop and maintain the idea as a source of income.  The MOB members and their teams work consultants in small business, marketing and finance to develop their business skills.

The MOB partners are Monadnock Developmental Services, the Monadnock Center for Successful Transitions, and  NH Vocational Rehabilitation.

Social Security Updates

From the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) “A World In Which People With Disabilities Have Unlimited Employment Opportunities” Main Fact Sheet.

Frequently asked questions from individuals
www.dol.gov/odep/faqs/main.htm

2011 Social Security Changes
(download PDF)

2010 Social Security Changes
(download PDF)