This unique opportunity pairs students with local businesses and agencies willing to prepare the next generation of employees, serving as mentors while benefitting from six weeks of labor by committed students. The program runs from June 17 to July 27, with rising juniors and seniors working 25 hours per week.
Y.O.U. usually receives as many as 6,000 applications for these summer opportunities, but at least 150 Heights Consortium students (from CH-UH, Shaker, Warrensville and Maple Heights) are guaranteed placements this summer, with the chance to earn over $2,000 from Y.O.U.
According to Business and Community Engagement Specialist for the Heights Career Tech Consortium Dr. Camren Daniel, her office works at hand-selecting placement jobs so they match a student’s area of study. “We don’t want someone doing janitorial work at McDonald’s when they’re studying marketing and entrepreneurship,” she said.
Local businesses from a wide range of fields are welcome to participate as employers. The CTE Consortium will host information sessions for interested employers, and Y.O.U. will assign each student worker a job coach who will do weekly check-ins. Dr. Daniel will also serve as go-between, communicating with the businesses about their needs.
Students in the past have run marketing and social media for area restaurants, worked in hair salons, learned the ropes of non-profits such as Dress for Success and of public agencies such as the Cleveland Heights Department of Public Works. Several Heights alumni-owned businesses have participated as employers in the past, including two that are run by 2006 graduates of the CTE program. Some students have gone on to be hired as parttime employees following their summer internships.
Highlights of the summer program include a Leadership Week for students prior to starting at their work sites and a Kickoff Employer Meet & Greet Luncheon where partnering businesses and participating students have the chance to interact and learn from one another.
Dr. Daniel says that students are available for positions in cosmetology, auto-tech, construction, bio-medical careers, pharmacy tech, marketing, fire/EMT, and criminal justice, among others. For certain roles, such as social media and marketing, jobs can be performed remotely. Any agency or business interested in participating should fill out
this form and will then be contacted by Dr. Daniel about upcoming information sessions and next steps.
