MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — At Manatee Technical College, there’s a program called Project EDGE that teaches students with intellectual disabilities work skills to increase their independence.
What You Need To Know
- It teaches students skills to become more independent
- Justin’s class graduates in April, and Manatee Technical College said they plan to reapply for the grant so the program can continue
Inside the classroom, Justin Torres is making significant academic progress.
“It’s been really great. I have learned a lot in this class,” he said.
Torres is part of the Project EDGE program at Manatee Technical College. EDGE stands for Empower, Develop, Grow, and Educate. The program is designed for students with intellectual disabilities. Torres has autism.
“It’s like getting distracted really easily. It’s really hard to keep in one place,” he said. “It’s really been a struggle, but I’ve gone through it and I’m here.”
The 900-hour class began last August. It teaches students skills to become more independent, which is a goal for Torres.
“It’ll make me live an independent life like I want to,” he said. “I want to work every day so I can get my own house, start a family, protect my family. That’s my goal.”
Carrie Walden is the instructor for Project EDGE. She says the program first started in 2024 thanks to a $1.2 million grant. All the graduates from the first year either moved on to MTC’s main campus, other colleges, or found jobs.
“We work on resumes, interview skills, what to wear to an interview, and what questions might be asked,” she said. “We do a lot of customer service training and how to act when we’re at a job.”
While Torres already has a job at Culver’s, he has bigger plans for his career.
“Right now, I’m focused on being a barber,” he said.
With Project EDGE, he is one step closer to reaching his full potential.
Torres’ class graduates in April, and Manatee Technical College tells us they plan to reapply for the grant so the program can continue.
Julia Hazel
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