Students can show they're up to challenges of workplace

The 20-year-old Wilmington Area School District student knows there are certain tasks she has to accomplish before the doors open and hungry patrons make their way through the salad bar.

Gretta is one of the students placed by the Midwestern Intermediate IV, a division of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and a connection that helps schools meet the needs of students with special challenges.

The program introduces students to the world of work, allowing them to develop the skills they need to succeed once they leave school.

Gretta is one of only a few students participating in the program from the area this year.

Next year, and in future years, Melissa Hogue, special education teacher for the Pre-Employment Transition Service/Community Based Vocational Training program, hopes to see many more students get the chance to learn skills they can use on the job.

New funding options and other changes in the Department of Education have made it possible for the CBVT unit to offer its service more affordably for local school districts.

[...] she said the program is looking for more schools to submit names of students who would benefit from the training.

She is learning a lot of great social skills and how to interact with other people.

Working with the program has allowed the steakhouse's owners, Bill and Nancy Campbell, the chance to give back to their community, a priority for them.