Project SEARCH and other Michigan employment pathways
A year spent training entirely inside a real workplace, not a classroom simulation, changes what employers see and what students believe about themselves. Five major Michigan employers already host it. Most families never hear about it until senior year is almost over.
Project SEARCH applications typically need to happen well before the final year of eligibility begins. If your family member is approaching their last year of school-based services, ask specifically about Project SEARCH now, not after enrollment windows have already closed.
Year-long, workplace-based
The entire program happens on-site at a real business, with rotating internships across multiple departments.
Five major Michigan host sites
University of Michigan Health System, Beaumont, Henry Ford, Meijer HQ, and MGM Grand Detroit all currently host programs.
Enrollment windows close early
Applications need to happen well before senior year starts. Families who ask too late miss the window entirely for that year.
Built for complex support needs
The program specifically targets students who need significant support to access competitive employment, not just mild accommodations.
Beyond Project SEARCH
Customized employment through MRS, Michigan Career and Technical Institute, and IPS supported employment models all offer alternatives.
MRS partnership required
Michigan Rehabilitation Services works alongside Project SEARCH to fund job coaching and long-term follow-along support.
Michigan Project SEARCH host sites
Ann Arbor, healthcare-based internship rotations
Multiple metro Detroit locations
Metro Detroit, healthcare-based rotations
Retail and corporate rotations
Hospitality and service-industry rotations
Devon’s senior year transition coordinator mentioned Project SEARCH almost as a footnote during an IEP meeting, and the application window was already tightening by the time his mother followed up. She pushed the enrollment through in time. Devon spent his final school year rotating through departments at a Beaumont Hospital site, and walked out with a part-time paid position in environmental services that the internship had built toward the entire year.
When your family member is approaching their final year of eligibility, here is what to do
Escalation ladder
- 1Ask your transition coordinator about Project SEARCH well before senior year.
- 2Confirm which Michigan host site serves your region.
- 3Apply within the enrollment window, which closes early.
- 4Connect with Michigan Rehabilitation Services for coordinated funding.
- 5Ask about job coaching and long-term follow-along support.
- 6Explore customized employment through MRS if Project SEARCH isn’t accessible.
Have ready
- Your family member’s current IEP and years of eligibility remaining
- Contact information for the nearest Project SEARCH host site
- Michigan Rehabilitation Services’ regional office contact
- A list of workplace strengths and interests to guide internship rotations
- A backup plan (MCTI, IPS, customized employment) if Project SEARCH isn’t available
A year inside a real workplace teaches things a classroom simulation never can. The application window doesn’t wait for you to find out about it.
Devon’s transition coordinator mentioned Project SEARCH once, briefly, during an IEP meeting that was mostly about something else entirely. His mother almost let it pass. She called the following week and found the application window for that year already narrowing. She pushed it through anyway. Devon spent his final year of eligibility rotating through departments at a Beaumont Hospital site, learning real job tasks from real supervisors, and walked out of high school with a paid position in environmental services waiting for him.
What Project SEARCH actually is
Project SEARCH is a year-long, entirely workplace-based transition program for students in their final year of special education eligibility. Unlike classroom-based vocational training, the whole program happens on-site at a host business, with students rotating through multiple departments to build real workplace skills under real supervisors. Michigan hosts include University of Michigan Health System, Beaumont Hospital, Henry Ford Health System, Meijer’s corporate headquarters, and MGM Grand Detroit.
Who it’s actually built for
The ideal candidate for Project SEARCH is a student who needs significant support to access competitive employment, not someone who only needs mild accommodations. The program is intensive and structured specifically for students with more complex support needs, which makes it a particularly good fit for many autistic students who haven’t found success in generic job-readiness programs.
Why the timing matters so much
Enrollment happens before the final year of eligibility begins, which means families who wait until senior year is already underway often find the window closed for that cycle. Asking your transition coordinator directly, and asking early, is the single biggest factor in whether this program is even available as an option.
What exists beyond Project SEARCH
Not every student fits the Project SEARCH model, and not every family lives near a host site. Michigan Rehabilitation Services offers customized employment, developing jobs tailored to individual strengths rather than fitting a person into an existing role. The Michigan Career and Technical Institute runs residential training programs. Individual Placement and Support models offer another evidence-based supported employment pathway worth asking about.
A footnote in an IEP meeting became a paycheck because Devon’s mother followed up the same week instead of the same year. That’s usually the whole difference between missing this program and using it.
Jim Palasty is the founder of OASIS for Autism and a single father of an adult autistic daughter in Michigan.