Work. Community Employment Services

Work.  Challenge yourself and discover your potential. Search's Vocational Services offers both community-based employment and in-house paid work options. Make your employment dreams a reality by working for a local business or learning valuable job skills. Beginning with an in-depth assessment of your interests and skills, our experienced vocational team can help you choose the option that's best for you. We also provide the on-the-job support you need to succeed.  The choice to work means different things to different people; Search helps you make the choice that's right for you.

About Community Employment

Search's Community Employment Program can help you find and keep your dream job. We offer a full array of job development and placement services. Search is also a Department of Rehabilitation Services contractor. Beginning with an in-depth assessment of your interests and skills, our experienced job coaches help you build your resume, practice interview skills, and find the right employer.  Our work isn't done once you're hired.  Your personal job coach stays by your side to make sure you have the on-the-job training and support you need to flourish at work.

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With every new job come new changes and questions. You'll have to get used to a new place, new people and new responsibilities. You'll have many questions. "How will the wages I earn from my job effect my benefits?" "How will I get to work?" "Will I be accepted by my co-workers?" Your job coach helps answer your questions and support you as you get used to the job.

Our job coaches have years of experience and a proven track record of success. Whether it's learning how to get to work on your own, managing the wages you earn so you keep your benefits, or building good relationships with your co-workers your job coach is there to help.  See a current list of employers Search's Community Employment Program partners with here.

Your In-House Job Options

Looking for a different level of work? Search offers a variety of in-house paid work options.  In-house work is not unlike community employment. You perform job duties, receive on-the-job training and support, gain real-world employment skills and earn wages.  The biggest difference is that when you choose in-house work options, Search becomes your employer.

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Search's in-house work is created by its social ventures, Planet Access Company (PAC) and A Better Clean (ABC).  Both social ventures are owned and operated by Search, giving you the best of both worlds; training and work in a real-world setting plus the chance to develop your vocational skills with Search's innovative Learn by Doing curriculum.

Planet Access Company (PAC) is an order fulfillment warehouse providing training and paid work opportunities including product assembly, order processing and materials handling.  Your job coaches and the PAC staff are there to help you build your skills into strengths.  With more than 500,000 units of product passing through PAC per year, there's ample opportunity to gain work experience while you earn a nice wage.

A Better Clean (ABC) is a business providing janitorial services to Chicago businesses.  ABC gives you the opportunity to grow your janitorial skills in a variety of settings.  We clean common areas of office buildings and condominium buildings as well as sidewalks in the commercial centers of Chicago's Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park neighborhoods.  

Search's social ventures are an important part of getting you the work you want.  Similar to our Adult Learning Services, Search's work opportunities give you the chance to learn while you earn.