Crew from OAISD gains work experience through pilot program

March 26, 2024 (Volume 47, Number 15)
Article by Michele Coffill

nine people standing on stairs, staggered, at Mary Idema Pew Library

Pictured in the Mary Idema Pew Library are Facilties Services staff and YAS crew members and their instructors. Back row, from left, are Jake Marg, Ed Wierzbicki, Rebecca Ramos and Kelly O'Mara; middle row, from left, are Tracy Pearson and Janet Cross; and front row, from left, are Christopher Wilson, Katelyn Tobin and Ashley Mennes. YAS crew member John Jorgenson is not pictured.

Photo Credit: Kendra Stanley-Mills

Four people who participate in the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District's Young Adult Services program are learning entry-level custodial skills thanks to a pilot program at Grand Valley.

Ed Wierzbicki, director of Facilities, Custodial and Operations, said the program started in January. Four people from the YAS program travel to campus twice weekly to help clean the Mary Idema Pew Library. YAS serves students ages 18-26 who are eligible for special education.

Facilities Services managers Jake Marg and Rebecca Ramos developed the framework for the YAS crew during their four-hour shifts and oversee the program. Crew responsibilities include cleaning the whiteboards, emptying trash cans and cleaning windows.

Sarah Sutherland, Tracy Pearson and Janet Cross, YAS instructors, said community work-based programs such as this one help YAS students learn to gain experience, work independently and practice their soft skills. The students and instructors then work collaboratively with Michigan Rehabilitation Services to match participants with jobs.

Wierzbicki said the program has gone well and may expand to other campus buildings in the future.