Across the nation, USGS collaborates with school districts and other educational institutions that have work transition programs for students (mostly ages 18–22) with cognitive and other disabilities. It’s known as STEP-UP (Secondary Transition to Employment Program - USGS Partnership).
Through the partnership, students have training experiences with USGS to gain valuable job skills to support their goals of seeking employment and living independently.
The students engage in projects that involve sorting, counting, comparing, cataloging, and identifying and tagging information in various data sets from the different mission areas in USGS. Many students assist in the preservation of at-risk data by scanning paper and other analog records and adding important metadata to them. While the projects are not mission critical, the students’ contributions do benefit the USGS, the larger scientific community, and the public by making information more accessible.
Overall, it’s a win-win for both students and scientists alike.
Recognition
The success of STEP-UP has been highlighted by these media outlets: National Public, Deseret News, WJLA/ABC7-TV, along with Fairfax County Public Schools (VA), Fairfax - Falls Church Community Services Board, Foundation for Fairfax County Public Schools.
Related Programs
For information about other student programs, visit the Youth and Education in Science pages.