Transforming the disability employment landscape one graduate at a time
The Your Next Star Academy provides experiential training for aspiring employees and entrepreneurs with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Academy also helps connect area employers to an underutilized and qualified labor pool that can successfully meet their needs.
FAQ
We invite job seekers with varied levels of experience to apply for our Your Next Star Academies. Whether you are at the beginning of your employment journey, considering a career shift, or simply looking to sharpen your employment skills, consider applying for one of our Academy offerings.
The Employment Academy is for trainees ages 18+, while the Career Exploration Academy targets students ages 17-21. The latter is designed to complement transition programs prior to graduation. Both Academies seek to sharpen employment skills, boost confidence, and strengthen interpersonal and “people” skills to enable job seekers to interact effectively and professionally with supervisors, co-workers, and clients.
Your Next Star Shop
Workshops
Designed to provide hands-on practice for job seekers to explore their interests, gain critical skills and pursue their career goals.
Employment Academy
Works with trainees ages 18+ to sharpen their employment seeking skills, boost their confidence, and strengthen interpersonal and “people” skills to enable them to interact effectively and professionally with supervisors, co-workers, and clients. Participants receive hands-on practice in three areas: soft skills (e.g. communication, creative thinking, work ethic, teamwork, positivity, time management, problem-solving, etc.), financial literacy (e.g. budgeting, planning for the future, comparing prices, etc.), and job skills. Upon graduation, Academy trainees will be prepared for a real-world experience in a field that interests them.
Ages: 18+
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Entrepreneurship Academy
A program for aspiring entrepreneurs with Down syndrome in partnership with Collettey’s Cookies. The program is intended to give a select group of self advocates with Down syndrome tips and tools for achieving their dream of running their own businesses. Catering to self advocates who have explored or developed expertise in a range of fields, from hospitality to the arts to public speaking, the Entrepreneurship Academy promises to equip these hopeful business owners with specific skills and resources that will help them launch and sustain a successful enterprise.
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Career Exploration Academy
A three-day training for students seeking to develop or sharpen their employment skills, boost their confidence, and strengthen interpersonal and “people” skills to enable them to interact effectively and professionally with supervisors, co-workers, and clients. Designed to complement transition programs, participants receive hands-on practice in two areas: soft skills (e.g. communication, creative thinking, work ethic, teamwork, positivity, time management, problem-solving, etc.) and employment skills.
Ages: 17-21
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