COEUR d'ALENE - Nine young adults are now confident, willing and ready to enter the workforce, thanks to Project Search.

They have the business cards to prove it.

Four of the 2014 program's graduates stood before members of the Project Search Business Advisory Council during a meeting Wednesday at Kootenai Health, where they presented their resumes and positive attitudes about finding careers.

"Most people our age, when they don't know the skills, have a tendency to maybe get fired quicker because you're still in that learning process," said Alyx Mewes, 20, of Coeur d'Alene. "Here, we get a chance to move ahead of everyone else, and have the experiences that no one else has that can (help) us get a job and maybe keep it longer than others."

Project Search is a one-year high school transition program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, ranging from cognitive development and autism to anxiety and depression. It follows the school schedule of the public school year, beginning in September and ending the first week of June with breaks for spring and winter.

Students experience three rotations of different positions as interns within Kootenai Health to help adjust and prepare them for the work world beyond high school.

"I was very shy in the beginning. I didn't want to break out of my shell," said Tatem Lynn, 19, of Post Falls. "Now, I'm not afraid to go out of my shell. I'm still shy when it comes to new people, but I get over it very quickly."

Lynn was the only intern selected for the business internship, which is new to the program. It allowed her to experience a combination of working at Nate's New York Pizza in Post Falls as well as in the purchasing department of Kootenai Health.

"I enjoyed the staff and everyone that I got to work with, at Nate's and in purchasing," she said.

"This is our first year trying that, and it was very successful," added Theresa Moran, Project Search instructor. Moran said they were thrilled Lynn was able to have the experience working in a restaurant.

"It was unpaid, but Tatem still learned a lot of customer service skills, in addition to learning how to make the pizzas," she said.

The meeting allowed the council members to ask the program grads about what they learned and where they want to go with the experience they now possess. Council members present at the meeting included Alivia Metts from the Idaho Department of Labor and Debbie Kerns from Kootenai Health's human resources department.

The meeting was also an opportunity for council members to offer guidance and advice about work ethic, interviewing techniques and what can really be expected once the Project Search grads find their new jobs.

Council member Katie Doumas of Coeur d'Alene is the employment specialist for Ability Works, the job-placement component of Tesh Inc., which works with Project Search students during the school year.

"They're fantastic," Doumas said after the meeting. "Seeing how they progressed from the fall, it's just kind of like a metamorphosis. The cocoon has hatched and the butterflies have come out. They don't present as the same person, really. The transformation is phenomenal."

Moran and Doumas said they encourage local employers to participate in the business internship opportunity so more future interns may widen their work experience before entering their career fields. Call Moran at 666-3435 or Doumas at 292-0149 for information.

The program, entering its fifth year, is a collaboration between Kootenai Health, the Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Coeur d'Alene School District and Tesh.

Project Search 2014 class of graduating interns: Anna Grantham, Tatem Lynn, Rebecca Malone, Kevin Marchesseault, Alyx Mewes, Wes Monk, Emily Oseguera-Hollis, Justin Shieler and Shelby Stevens.