BRISTOL, INDIANA – Gaining Grounds, ADEC’s premier coffee shop based in Bristol, Indiana, is proud to announce it’s new Internship Program. Kicking off in May, 2022, the internship program will have two year-long, paid positions intended for candidates with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities (IDD.) Applicants for the positions should have the ability to read, basic math skills, be over the age of 18, and must be able to get to and from the location. The jobs will include not just the coffee shop, but also assisting with the ART by ADEC Gallery space and the Conference Center space. The goal of the program is to assist the interns in developing the skills and confidence necessary to attain employment in a competitive, integrated work environment at the end of the year-long program.

To accomplish this, interns will progress through six levels of training: cleaning/stocking, customer service, merchandising/point-of-sale, gallery/conference room operations, marketing, and making and serving drinks. At the end of each level of training there will be a skills assessment and a positive result will move the intern on to the next level of training. At the successful completion of the year-long internship, the HR department will help the intern with practice job interviews, and then Gaining Grounds will hold a graduation ceremony. Graduates will then be able to work with Vocational Rehabilitation to locate appropriate job openings to apply to in the area, and ADEC personnel will stay in contact with alumni for three years to ensure the goals of the internship have been met and that the individual has been able to make adequate progress towards their career goals.

For questions, please email [email protected]. To read the Internship Program’s Job Description, or apply for an internship position, go here.