CONNECT2Careers (C2C) is supporting wages for 50 high school students to work on short-term projects during their winter and spring breaks. These externships provide youth with foundational work experiences while they continue to pursue their education, and offer employers extra support for small projects and a chance to strengthen community relationships.
On November 21, 2015 eligible candidates were provided intensive pre-externship training. At the C2C Extern Recruitment event, participants spent over six hours practicing their problem solving skills, working on résumés, building interview confidence, and creating then practicing elevator pitches. After the training time, participants went into a two-hour networking session with 30 employers. Just over 120 young people registered for the program, of whom 85 passed the first round of screening and eligibility and were invited to attend the C2C Extern Recruitment event. Employers selected the final 50 externs, who will each be offered two externships, one in the winter and one in the spring, with wages supported by the County’s Community Action Partnership.
“The youth I met and interviewed at the San Diego Workforce externship mixer were professional, motivated, and eager for an opportunity to pursue their interests,” says Travis Kemnitz, Talent and Culture Coach at the Ocean Discovery Institute. “It was inspiring to hear what the youth had already accomplished and their future aspirations. Ocean Discovery is excited to host the externs and support their career exploration.”
Externs will receive a clothing stipend for business wear, a transportation stipend to help them get to and from their externship sites, and will be paid for the hours worked during their externships as well as their attendance at two more training events. Upon completion of the program, externs will update their résumés and have two work experiences to lean on when applying for future positions.
For more information on how to support or hire a C2C job candidate, please visit c2csd.org.