News and Knowledge

The Somerset Hills Learning Institute, a New Jersey non-profit program for students with autism, recently launched its Center for Career Advancement with the aim of helping its adult students transition into potential careers.

By hosting the Center on Three Meadows Farm, which the Institute recently purchased, students will have the opportunity to learn job skills in a relaxed and open environment. A press release about the Center notes that the students will work to grow fresh produce through hydroponic farming, which they will in turn use to supply local stores and restaurants.

However, farming is not the only career that students will learn. The Center wants to work to personalize services and teach general career skills while also focusing on individual students’ abilities and interests.

According to an article in NJBIZ, the Center plans to use partnerships with local businesses such as Wee People Daycare and Staples to provide critical job skill training. These partnerships will teach adults with autism how to interview successfully, manage time to complete projects by deadlines, and interact professionally with co-workers.

With the launch of the career center, the Somerset Hills Learning Institute hopes to reduce the 80% unemployment rate for adults with autism through career training that caters to development of its students’ individual interests.