High School Internship Program Expands To 6 More Counties
For Immediate Release
ATHENS, OH — After successfully connecting students with businesses and organizations in Athens and Meigs counties, Rural Action’s Paid High School Internship Program has expanded to offer internship opportunities to students in Belmont, Tuscarawas, Jefferson, Morgan, Perry, and Hocking counties.
A Rural Action high school intern participates in a Passion Works Parade in Place in the summer of 2020.
The expansion, made possible by a grant from the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, means even more students will be able to learn about careers in their own backyard while earning a stipend in the process. Since its inception in 2019, the program has paid students a total of $41,600 while building bridges between the area’s youth and businesses.
Through the program, students are placed with local businesses who act as host sites, teaching the students about the many aspects of running and operating a business and mentoring students according to their interests.
The goal is three-fold: to help students network within the community to bolster their career efforts, to provide a non-traditional way for businesses to recruit and retain local talent, and to expose students to career options that lead to high-paying jobs right here in Appalachian Ohio.
The program’s expansion wouldn’t be possible without key educational partners, including ProjectRISE from the Athens Meigs Educational Service Center (ESC), the Education Workforce Collaborative from East Central Ohio ESC and Ohio Valley ESC, and the Muskingum Valley ESC.
As evidenced by the latest state budget proposal, spending on workforce development continues to be a top priority in Ohio. Rural Action, Building Bridges to Careers, and our regional partners believe successful workforce development requires community involvement in K-12 education — especially in Southeast Ohio.
The results of these efforts are reflected in the following statistics from 2019 to date:
- 58 businesses and community organizations have offered Rural Action Internships to area students. Among them are Black Diamond Tavern, The Baileys Trail System, Dutton Farms & Blame My Roots Festival, Meigs Chamber and Tourism, Burr Oak Getaways, Passion Works Studio, Belmont County Soil and Water, and Morris Hardware.
- Over $41,600 has been awarded to high school students participating in the internship program
- More than 6 participating students have been offered full- or part-time work or scholarships at the conclusion of their internships — and half of those jobs were created specifically for the intern.
Rural Action is a regional community development organization with a 32-county footprint working with members and community leaders on a range of quality of life, environmental, and economic projects across rural Appalachian Ohio. Its mission is to build a more just economy by developing the region’s assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. Learn more about Rural Action at www.ruralaction.org
Building Bridges to Careers is an organization that fosters community relationships to inspire student career choice. Recently, BB2C was awarded a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help build regional capacity for community and career connected learning. Learn more about BB2C at www.bb2careers.org
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CONTACT
Joe Brehm (Rural Action)
Environmental Education Director
joe@ruralaction.org
614.886.5668
or
Allison Ricket (Building Bridges to Careers)
aricket@bb2careers.org
614.446.7446
A Rural Action high school intern works on a project for the Nelsonville Emporium.
