July 02, 2009 04:55 am
Andover resident Andrew Cummings, 17, is interested in working in a post office after he finishes his schooling at Andover High School. A collaboration between the Arc School to Work Transition Services and Merrimack College is bringing him closer to that dream.
The School to Work Program allows students with special needs to get work experience before graduating. It is primarily for students between 16 and 22 years of age, who can learn a skill in order to live independently. Each student has a work coach who ensures that the student gets the most out of each experience, according to a release from Merrimack College.
The Merrimack College Post Office helped Andrew learn about working in a professional environment, and with the help of job coach Joseph Gleason, Andrew worked a couple of hours a week sorting mail. He continues to learn about the different post office equipment that is used on a daily basis.
"We have plenty of tasks here that fit the bill for Andrew, and we consider this a great opportunity to help out a young man from the community," said Paul Dearborn, postmaster at Merrimack College in a release.
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