The Customized Employment Public Intern Project was created based on the County’s knowledge that people with significant disabilities often have difficulty accessing County government positions. As an employer, Montgomery County recognizes that there are many job candidates with significant disabilities who have much to offer but have difficulty competing for traditional jobs within the government. To go above and beyond what other County and State agencies have done, Montgomery County has established an initiative to create flexible work opportunities for individuals to fulfill the work requirements of County departments. All County departments will have the opportunity to work with a customized employment career specialist to identify and create part-time position descriptions based on the department’s need. Individuals with significant disabilities will be matched to work tasks based on their interests, skills and competencies. The hope is that the public interns will gain job experience and training to be able to compete for merit positions within the County, as well as at other places of employment. All public intern positions are temporary and part-time (anywhere from 1-18 hours/week for 50 weeks (not to exceed 900 hours within one year). The number of hours for each position will be determined by the individual needs of each department and the individual abilities/interests of each applicant. Each position pays $7.20/hour and can last for a period of no more than 2 years. Interns hired under this program do not receive benefits or accrue leave.