High School Transition
Transition Programs for Students with Disabilities
Ability Edge
This program provides graduates with disabilities the opportunity for six, nine or 12-month internships in their chosen field. Ability Edge is run by Career Edge - a national youth internship program - in collaboration with Human Resources Development Canada. It was set up with the goal of easing the transition from school to work for people with disabilities.
Ability Edge provides employment opportunities in a variety of fields. The program looks into each position offered for posting, with the aim of offering participants rewarding internships designed to start them on a career path. Ability Edge interns are paid $1,500 per month through Career Edge for the length of their internship. In addition, each participating intern is assigned a mentor whose job it is to provide guidance throughout the internship.
Ability Edge was launched in six Canadian cities in the fall of 2001 – Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax – and is scheduled to consider national program delivery in 2002. The program claims it has seen over half of participants hired by their host companies after their internship, and 65 percent have found work in their field within one month of completing an internship with the program.
Positions are listed on the Career Edge/Ability Edge Web site, and identified as Ability Edge internships. Each listing includes instructions on where to send an application. For more information, contact:
Ability Edge
181 Bay Street 2400
P.O. Box 783
Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2T3
Toll-free: 1 (888) 507-3343
E-mail: info@careeredge.org
Web site: www.abilityedge.org