by Sabina Longo, WTOP10- TV
High school students in Oswego County and SUNY Oswego have been teaming up to help young adults with special needs develop work skills. Thirty students are enrolled into the Center for Instruction, Technology, and Innovation (CITI) program. The CITI program has been a part of SUNY Oswego for the past twenty-five years, and is currently located in the basement of Hewitt.
Students in the program learn basic work skills through making ceramic products. Each student is responsible for a different job including, pouring clay into the molds, smoothing the clay product before going into the kiln, and painting the pottery when finished. Once the ceramic items are complete, they are then sold within the community. All profits are funneled back into the program to buy more supplies and materials.
“Students are all striving to get some kind of skills that they can use in the workforce,” said Vocational teacher, Lisa Carney
CITI has three half day classes that run Monday through Friday every week for two hours. Students can qualify for the state aided program until they are twenty-one years old.