Schoolcraft College has always been a strong community partner, welcoming non-students for entertaining performances, engaging programs, fine dining options, Advanced Placement testing and, most recently, serving as a distribution point for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Perhaps a lesser-known, but still vitally important, initiative that Schoolcraft supports is the Livonia Transition Program (LTP), which is run by the Livonia Public Schools and is for 18-26-year-old special education students who have exited high school with a certificate of completion.

LTP is a blended program where students spend half of their day in the classroom learning daily living skills, job readiness skills and transition goals. The other half of their day is spent at a job site where students have the opportunity to learn job skills in a real-life situation.

“Our goal of the program is to prepare our students for competitive employment,” said Maegan Sprow, Coordinator for Livonia Transition Program. “Over time, our program has grown so that we offer classes on campus at Schoolcraft, but we also have satellite classrooms at St. Mary's Hospital, Embassy Suites Hotel and Ward Church.” 

Classes are taught in the Jeffress Center and include:

• Job Exploration
• Financial Literacy
• Modern Technology
• Independent Living
• Student Advisory
• Safety and Wellness
• Job Readiness

An average day looks like this:

• Morning – students arrive on campus for their first block of classes.
• Mid-day – students are shuttled to their job sites. Lunch is eaten on-site.
• Afternoon – students return to campus for their final class.
• Dismissal

While on the job site, students focus on demonstrating competencies in the Universal Work Skills, which are essential work traits deemed necessary for successful employment, and training conditions are governed by the Department of Labor guidelines.

Sprow said the LTP is available to students from the Livonia Public Schools and also that it has cooperative agreements with the following school districts: Northville, Garden City, Redford Union, South Redford, Crestwood, Huron and Van Buren. These school districts also can apply to have their students attend our program.

A team of six instructors/job coaches, and seven paraprofessionals supports the students.

“Our students all spend half of their day receiving on-the-job training,” Sprow said. “We have some students who have job placements at Schoolcraft, including at the Fitness Center. In the past, we have also placed students at the VisTaTech Center, in the kitchen, and in the bookstore. 

“Schoolcraft staff and students have been very supportive of our program, offering great work experiences, and just a general sense of welcoming to our students.”

Sprow expects to have 70 students enrolled in the program in the fall, when hopefully more face-to-face instruction is the norm across campus.

“Our program loves being on campus where there are other same-aged students also attending classes,” Sprow said.

For more information, contact the Livonia Public Schools Department of Student Services at (734) 744-2615.