Growth Partnership plans open house for internship program

To give Geauga students a leg up on finding their career paths and give employers a pipeline to their workforce, Geauga Growth Partnership annually hosts its High School Summer Internship Program.

This year’s event for students and their parents will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Jan. 14, at Kent State University Geauga campus, 14111 Claridon Troy Road in Burton Township.

“We have seen so many success stories come out of these internships. Students gain much more than a paycheck,” said Intern Program Coordinator Georgia Klemencic in the release. “It is so fulfilling for us to see the students move into rewarding career paths. Many of our businesses are retaining long-term employment relationships with their interns.”

The GGP Summer Internship Program, which began in 2012, was designed to give high school students valuable real world, paid work experiences with Geauga companies, the release stated. Since inception, 181 students have successfully completed the program.

To qualify, students must be a junior or senior in high school, living in Geauga County, and be at least 17 years old by June 1. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0, with passing grades in all courses.

On average, 50 percent of the employers have asked the student interns to continue employment, either seasonally or as a full-time employee.

At the Jan. 14 open house, Klemencic will give an overview of internship program guidelines, and sponsoring business representatives will give an overview of their companies and what their internship positions will entail.

During the internship, successful applicants will commit to a six- to eightweek internship and attend two workshops hosted by GGP that include training in soft skills, finance management and workplace behavior. Each student applicant will participate in at least four interviews at businesses.

Students who earn an internship will participate in an orientation on May 6 and give a presentation during a recognition event on Aug. 8. To help student applicants prepare, on Feb. 4 GGP will hold a training workshop in interviewing skills open to all applicants to the program, the release stated.

The deadline for student applications is 5 p.m., Feb. 1.

To qualify, students must be a junior or senior in high school, living in Geauga County, and be at least 17 years old by June 1. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0, with passing grades in all courses.

A full listing of Intern guidelines, applications, and available positions may be found at https://bit. ly/2kWINtP. For more information about the internship program, contact Georgia Klemencic at gklemencic@geaugagrowth.com.