Employers, youth benefit from internship program

Seventy young adults in the Lincoln Trail area recently participated in a summer internship program offered by the Lincoln Trail Workforce Investment Board. The program ran from June 16 to Aug. 4, offering temporary positions paying between $7.25 and $10 per hour to young people aged 18- to 21-years-old. Of the 70 interns who worked at 40 sites, 83 percent completed the seven-week program. Seventy percent of the interns will be starting or returning to college. The remaining young people will be looking for employment, while others have been offered permanent positions with their summer employer.
Worksites included private sector employers, such as banks, hospitals, manufacturers and professional service companies, school systems, non-profit organizations, and state and local government. Intern wages were subsidized with Workforce Investment Act funds, which allowed local employers to participate in the program at no extra cost. Employers reported that the summer interns helped fill production needs, understood required duties and shared new computer skills.
“This was a wonderful program and a good opportunity for kids to get work experience that will lead to future jobs,” said Sam Sanders, superintendent of Larue County Schools. “I advised our summer intern to fill out an application in case a position becomes available in the future. We would be interested in hiring her as a full-time employee.”
Job positions included administrative and clerical roles, IT customer support, registration clerks, water plant assistants, bank tellers, grounds maintenance crewmembers, shipping and receiving clerks, teachers’ assistants, production team members and child care assistants. Interns said they learned more about interaction with the public, communication, time management and organizational skills, better work techniques and employers in the Lincoln Trail area.
For more information on job seeker and employer services, visit the Lincoln Trail Career Centers website at www.ltcareercenter.org.