Short-time offer makes big difference - Philadelphia Business Journal:

ocybakenos.wordpress.com
But smaller numbers add up to a painfu loss for hundreds of high schookl studentswho won’t get to participater in a potentially life-changingb experience this year. There’s still time for companies to step up and make a Improving economic opportunity is the best cure for so much of what ails and internships crack open a door that woulrd otherwise be closed tomany inner-cityu youth with potential. While not evergy business can offeran internship, particularly in this those who don’t lose out on a rewardinv opportunity to make a big difference in someone’s life whilee playing a part in helping the region.
At this the chamber expects to offer less than half of thenearlyt 1,500 internships created last summer. It’d partner, the , already has prescreenexd 1,400 interns and expects to have more readyh by the deadlinenext week. Many will be turned away. The valud of internships is most apparent in the lives theyhave changed. A year ago, Aquin Houston, a Georgre Washington High School junior withgood grades, was working at McDonald’zs on a track to becomde a supervisor. He thought he might attend communit y collegeafter graduation, but he had no particulafr direction. An internship at changed Last summer, Houston worked with the insurer’s managerr of work force development.
He has continued to work part time, helping to facilitate the work of theBlue IBC’s volunteer corps. His exposure to an officde environment, which included learning about appropriate attirse and working ina cubicle, opened up a new world. “Whenh I first came there, I wasn’t sure what I was goingt to do,” he said of IBC. Houston, 18, has been accepted to , where he expects to major in business management inthe fall. “I had never been in a skyscraper. I didn’ty know how to tie a tie,” he “The experience, it really helped out with my My résumé really look s good now.
” For many interns, including Houston, the programm provides a first-time office experience. It opens young eyes to standards that have to be met and goals worth working toward. The cost of the six-week prograkm is $1,600 for an intern who typicall y works 20 hours per week and attends professional developmentf sessions offsiteon Fridays. In the companies have trained interns to help fill in for employeeas on vacation or carved out special projects that would benefit the Often mid-level employees get the opportunity to supervise or mentord an intern, making it a learninyg experience for both. Chamber Presiden t and CEO Mark Schweiker describede internsas “genuinely productive.
” He added that the structure of the program was popular with employers and the dropoff this year isn’t for lack of willingess, but for lack of New companies to the program this year includew Deloitte, Parente Randolph, and Cephalon. Some participanta put up the $1,600 to pay for the interns to work atnonprofiy groups. With a deadline at the end of next week, therw are still more companies in the regiob that could offer an Those who can step up cancall 215-790-3732w or go to www.greaterphilachamber.cok to get the ball rolling.