Children's Hospital Colorado

Project SEARCH: An Employment Training Program for Students with Significant Disabilities

Project SEARCH is an innovative school-to-work transition program for high school students with significant disabilities. The program is dedicated to workforce development that benefits the individual, community and workplace.

Children’s Hospital Colorado serves as the host business providing opportunities for students to learn workplace skills and emerge from the program ready for employment.

To be eligible to apply to Project SEARCH, students must meet the following criteria: 

  • Be at least 18 years old 
  • Currently enrolled in a local high school special education program or transition program 
  • Nearing their last year(s) of school services 
  • Completed graduation requirements but deferred diploma 
  • Have a strong desire to work 
  • Are comfortable working in a healthcare setting 
  • Qualify for services through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and their local Community Centered Board (CCB) 
  • Willing to travel to and from the program independently (public transportation, Access-a-Ride, carpooling, etc)

For more information, please call the Project SEARCH office at 720-777-2752 or email ProjectSearch@childrenscolorado.org.

To apply, please email ProjectSearch@childrenscolorado.org. Applications are for both Children’s Hospital Colorado and UCHealth. Submission instructions are outlined in the application and the submission deadline is February 9, 2024. For more information about the application and materials required, please review our application overview and guidelines.

Project SEARCH at Children’s Colorado welcomed our first class of students in 2009, adopting the national Project SEARCH model created in 1996 by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Cincinnati Ohio.

The Project SEARCH program at Children’s Colorado has been recognized nationally as the recipient of several Employment Outcome Awards, including multiple achievements of the prestigious 100% Employment Award.

What would happen if you gave Destinee a chance?

Destinee Brown has blindness, does not have use of her legs, and is one of the most positive people you'll ever meet. Destinee worked at our Blood Donor Center, thanks in part to her participation in Project SEARCH.