Greater Latrobe students with disabilities to benefit from career lab

Greater Latrobe students with disabilities will soon have the opportunity to gain a plethora of hands-on, career-relevant experiences within school walls.

Next year, the district plans to introduce a Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab at the high school.

The $30,000 lab will offer curriculum materials and onsite training for students to explore five career pathways: computer technology, construction and industrial, processing and production, consumer and service, and business marketing.

The lab will be fully funded by a $45,000 Designing Pathways to Competitive Integrated Employment grant that was approved by the school board this week. Remaining funds will go toward similar programs already offered by the district.

Laurie Havrisko, the district’s assistant for student services, said she hopes the lab helps students gain employment after high school and prepares them for on-the-job training.

“We really thought this would be an asset to our district,” Havrisko said.

Havrisko estimated at least 15 high school students with disabilities will benefit from the lab. Lab time will be allotted in each student’s schedule.

While they are in the lab, students will work alongside a special education teacher or classroom assistant to complete tasks such as data entry, bolt assembly and food preparation.

After each task, the students will complete a self-assessment and teachers will evaluate the students’ progress. Tasks will be timed so students can compare their progress to industry standards.

Ultimately, the goal is to help students find out which career paths they are best suited for, Havrisko explained.

Autistic support teacher Kelsey Beckas envisions the lab will serve as “another piece of the puzzle” of opportunities that Greater Latrobe offers its students with disabilities. The lab will supplement a student-run coffee shop, on-the-job training program, and mug creation and sale business.

District officials including Havrisko and Beckas began discussing the possibility of adding the lab last year after touring the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit’s PAES Lab. They appreciated that, unlike a career survey, the lab offers tangible opportunities.

“It’s getting them more experience,” Beckas said. “It’s really hard sometimes to give them that in school.”

Havrisko is excited to see how the lab helps students grow and explore career paths.

“I think this enriches our current programs, sets us apart and prepares our students to be members of the global community after high school,” she said.