Serving as a post-secondary transition program for young adults aged 18-26 with disabilities, UCNECT (Utica Center for Employment and Community Transition) students engage in work skill development and activities of daily living.

“The goal of the program is to promote independence and provide meaningful life experiences, so upon completion, the student can take care of themselves and become an active member of their community,” UCNECT teacher, Kelly Bowler, said.

Work skill development occurs at UCNECT through on-site programs and community partnerships, allowing students to receive hands-on work experience. This year, UCENCT has 17 work sites throughout the UCS community, one of which is Deer Camp in Sterling Heights, owned by Anthony and Julie Majewski.

Nick Lardomita was assigned Deer Camp as his UCNECT worksite over a year ago and has grown tremendously in that amount of time.

“Nick has transitioned from doing single tasks to multitasking, he has been independently working, and he officially acquired his SafeServ certification from the state,” said Anthony.

“The program is terrific.”

Supporting the UCNECT program are the teachers, paraprofessionals and job coaches who provide various levels of support at work sites based on a continuum and individualized for each student.

“I feel pretty good since I started last year when they taught me what to do,” Lardomita said. “I’ve been getting better at it by multitasking and moving to the next step and working hard.”

Bowler’s favorite part about UCNECT is watching students grow, including Lardomita who is now training new staff at Deer Camp and will be employed by the company upon his completion of the UCNECT program.

“This is a really cool experience to be here, just to learn how to follow directions,” said Lardomita. “I’m very proud of myself.”