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Internships to be offered to students
By Denise Dick
COLUMBUS
Schools, colleges and universities, businesses and nonprofit organizations are joining forces to offer role models to young people.
Students in Youngstown, Campbell, Salem, Southern, Leetonia, Lisbon, East Liverpool and Wellsville school districts will be eligible for the state’s new Community Connectors school mentorship program. More than $6.8 million was awarded statewide.
Gov. John Kasich proposed the program in his 2014 State of the State address.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive to the Community Connectors grant opportunity,” Richard Ross, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a news release. “The grant application process initiated new relationships and conversations in communities across the state on how to inspire and help more young people to reach their goals. Our boys and girls need an adult, a mentor they can trust, who can help them reach their potential and show them their future.”
A $90,450 grant will be used to provide internships, externships and mentoring to juniors and seniors in the Youngstown City Schools, said Nick Santucci, manager of education and workforce development at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
The chamber was the lead applicant for the grant, but it’s a collaboration among the chamber, the city schools, Eastern Gateway Community College, Youngstown, and the Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods.
Santucci said the program, which will begin in the fall, aims to provide internship, externship or mentors to between 100 and 150 city high-school juniors and seniors.
Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown is the lead applicant for a $88,394 grant of which Campbell City Schools is a partner.
The program will connect students with volunteer mentors who can expose them to science, technology, engineering and mathematics career paths.
Matthew Bowen, Campbell superintendent, said the district looks forward to engaging students and the community with the partnership to further develop their potential for entering the health professions.
“We will fully support the work of the collaboration to provide access to students interested in learning more about health professions as a viable career path,” he said.
Bowen said the partnership with NEOMED is one of many the school district has with outside partners.
“We value these partnerships and understand how meaningful these opportunities are for the children we serve,” he said.
Kent State University is the lead on an $85,500 grant to provide individual and group mentoring to students in the six rural Columbiana County school districts.
Santucci said the chamber will work with businesses to offer the internship and externships.
“The more students who get experience in internships and externships, the higher the likelihood of them getting hired,” he said.
ACTION will offer mentoring and EGCC and Choffin Career and Technical Center, part of the city school district, will provide training in machining and welding to students, Santucci said.
Students will learn skills required in the workplace such as making eye contact, punctuality and proper work attire, he said.
The grant will cover expenses for the school such as supplies and transportation.
Santucci said former Youngstown schools Superintendent Connie Hathorn approached the chamber about the grant.
“It sounded like a great opportunity so we took it,” he said.