Community-Based Instruction Outings at Long Beach Campus a Huge Hit

The IDS staff in Long Beach have been busy all fall hosting an array of events, classes, and interactive pre-employment training sessions. Recently, the Life Skills students of d’Iberville High School visited the campus for a community-based instruction outing that began with a career interest survey and discussion about opportunities that matched their interests. Afterwards, students explored several career fields through hands-on activities in themed workstations, including Coastal Inn, Magnolia Medical Station, Bumble Beads, and Robin’s Basket.

The Coastal Inn workstation introduced students to the responsibilities of hotel housekeeping and what it takes to keep hotel operations running smoothly. Magnolia Medical Station allowed students to practice roles as both doctor and patient utilizing medical equipment like what healthcare professionals use in daily practice. Bumble Beads encouraged student creativity through designing bracelets and fostered confidence by answering student questions about the realities of owning their own business. Robin’s Basket highlighted the importance of people skills in any career as students were prompted to serve “ice cream” to test and improve their customer service skills.

This outing was part of IDS’s ToTAL (Transition of Teens to Adult Life) program funded by MDRS to provide Pre-Employment Training Services (Pre-ETS) to help students prepare for their futures. IDS is immensely thankful for our partnership with MDRS whose funding allows these pre-employment training opportunities to be possible. Experiences such as the community-based instruction outing at IDS’s Long Beach campus give students the opportunity to connect their interests with real-world pathways while simultaneously building the necessary job skills to be successful in their chosen field.

For more information on ToTAL programs, contact Beth Robertson (Long Beach campus) at 228-214-3422 or beth.robertson@usm.edu, or Joseph King (Hattiesburg campus) at 601-266-4021 or joseph.a.king@usm.edu.