Career Development Program
The Career Development Program (CDP) is an integral component of Bay Cove Academy of Brookline, MA. CDP is a program that serves youth ages 12-21 who have severe emotional, behavioral, or learning disabilities. All students and staff of Bay Cove Academy participate in CDP, which incorporates both school- and work-based learning.
The general goals of CDP are to help students develop a positive worker identity; match a student’s skills, strengths, and interests to a job placement; and upgrade skills needed for the workplace. In addition, goals are to empower and motivate students towards a future of successful employment and self-reliance, provide career exploration and development, and prepare students for the transition to skilled post-graduate opportunities.
CDP is a comprehensive school-to-work transition program organized into developmental phases of employment so that students increase their levels of independence as they participate in career planning, the classroom, and real-world employment skills training and community job placement. Students typically participate in CDP for a period of one to five years. The phases of CDP move students from simply exploring the work through on-campus jobs to more intense work-based learning experiences. These more intense experiences take the students off campus, placing them in internships in which they work 10-20 hours a week, independently obtain transportation to and from work, and complete self-evaluations. As students become more independent, they take part in competitive employment or a career-based internship for at least six months.
From September 1997 to September 2000, 65 students participated in CDP. Within a year of graduation, 86 percent of the graduates were employed, in school, or in a full-time combination of both. About 91% of employers were satisfied with CDP.
For more information, visit http://www.baycove.org/academy/index.cfm or contact: