This summer, Auerfarm piloted a new summer program, Growing Opportunities (GO) program with the funding support of an Innovation Grant from the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
For the past five years, Auerfarm has partnered with the Farmington Valley Transition Academy, West Hartford Public Schools Transition Program, and Greater Hartford school systems. This summer, with the help of the generous grants, the Auerfarm GO program was expanded for continuous learning to include seven weeks (six weeks for the work-force training for transition students and mentors, and one additional week of preparatory training for the job coaches and mentors).
The program included exposure to intensive career-oriented, certifications, increased soft and hard workplace skills, and interactions with agricultural, hospitality, food service, and facility management professionals in the community. Additionally, the Mentors also worked with the job coaches by developing their own personal-assessment, leadership skills, and work-force portfolios.
Additional components were working with a professional chef to develop hands-on kitchen training and safe food service, while preparing their own lunches. And educating local employers on the benefits of hiring people with disabilities thus increasing student hire-ability and employer community awareness.
Photo: GO program field trip to Flower Power in East Windsor to learn about facility management jobs in Agriculture businesses.