Six piles of paper — sorted and stacked — littered Katie Godoy’s desk.
Godoy carefully stuffed two letters and two smaller slips of paper into a crisp white envelope. Then she placed it onto a pile of similarly stuffed envelopes before starting the process again.
The 21-year-old was hard at work in the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s new Practical Assessment Exploration System Lab.
The space, which opened in mid-December, gives young adults the opportunity to explore various careers, including sewing, construction, business and cooking.
“You see their passion light up and their confidence build,” said Rachel Ray, assistant professor. “They enjoy coming here.”
The program is open to individuals 18 and older. Participants start with an onboarding process, similar to what they may experience in the workforce. They watch brief introductory video and complete a career interest inventory.
Trainees are paced in one of five career paths — business/marketing, computer technology, processing/production, construction/industrial and consumer/service.
Each career path features between eight and 10 skills to master. For example, trainees in the business/marketing program will work on alphabetizing, filing, numerical sorting and working a cash register, among other skills.
Trainees clock in at the lab for a two-hour shift, just like a typical job. They’re then able to select a box with the day’s assignment.
Each box includes materials they need for their task, as well as a card with step-by-step instructions. One task within the construction/industrial career path has trainees removing and replacing screws with Allen wrenches.
Once they’ve completed their task, they call over a supervisor for feedback.
“It’s absolutely student-driven,” Ray said. “That helps increase their interest, their confidence and their buy in.”
Once trainees complete a section, staff print a report showing how well they did and how long they took to complete tasks. That document can be shared with their school as well as future employers.
If a trainee completes all five careers, they’ll have learned more than 260 transferable job skills. Some skills transfer to independent living, too, like learning to identify and operate kitchen appliances and practicing time management skills.
“We want to support students and show what they can accomplish,” Ray said.
Godoy’s task to sort and stuff envelopes falls into the business/marketing career path. Her practice in the lab has helped her get faster and more efficient at her job doing office work at a YMCA branch.
She’s come to realize she prefers office tasks as opposed to cleaning.
Godoy said she loves having a job. “It really makes me feel more independent,” she said. “It’s the best job. It’s a big honor for me (to be at MMI). I just love it.”