Each year, the staff and team from the CCS vocational training program host a recognition reception to celebrate the students from Carmel High School and the off-campus programs of C³ and VITAL4. The evening is an opportunity to recognize the hard work accomplished during the year. The special program is also a way to say thank you to the businesses that employ CCS workers. 

What are the Carmel Clay Schools Vocational Training Programs? 

CCS offers a variety of vocational training options for students earning a certificate of completion. Whether in the classroom, school environment, or in the community, each opportunity allows students to gain experience and learn employability skills (i.e. soft skills). 

Carmel High School 

Students work with job coaches in the community setting where there is limited adult or peer support, much less structure, and the expectations for demonstrating employability skills are much higher. Students start out with a volunteer experience, and then as skills grow and improve, and if their family agrees, they move to a paid job. Once in a paid job, students are expected to show up and work like any other paid employee (even during breaks, snow days, and the summer). 

Creating Community Connections (C³)

This program emulates the working world and is designed for students who have demonstrated success employed in the community while at CHS.  Candidates in C³ must be at least 18 years old and completed at least 4 years in the high school setting. Workers in the C³ program have the opportunity to improve their employability skills and increase their involvement in community activities with limited direct adult support. The goal is to develop opportunities for the individual to continue once they leave the program and begin life after K-12. This means that workers not only have paid or volunteer jobs, but they meet friends/family for lunch; they attend exercise and music classes; they shop for personal items, gifts, or items needed by family members; and they visit or attend activities with agencies that will provide services after they exit K-12.

Vocational Independence Through Adult Learning (VITAL4)

This program emulates the work world and is designed for students who have demonstrated success working in the community during their time at Carmel High School. Students in the VITAL4 program must be at least 18 years of age and have completed at least 4 years of high school. Workers in the VITAL4 program have one or two paid jobs and spend the majority of their day in the community setting. VITAL4 participants cannot use CCS transportation. Therefore, they learn to arrange rides using public transportation, family, or friends. Workers have many opportunities through their paid jobs to increase their employability skills while navigating the world without direct adult support for much of their day. VITAL4 workers may spend 60 to 90 minutes a day in the VITAL4 office setting to problem solve any issues or needs they may be having at their jobs with the VITAL4 supervisor (teacher). The goal of this program is to bolster individual self-reliance and increases activity and productivity in the community once they exit the program.

It is important to note that the C³ and VITAL4 programs are designed for individuals and their families who desire employment and involvement in the community. Participants in either program must be capable of being safe while in the community with limited or no direct support. Students do not automatically move into these programs once they turn 18.