The Appalachian Regional Commission funding for the 2022 Summer Paid Internships program is intended to strengthen opportunities for graduates to enter the local workforce and improve job retention. Funds will cover a paid internship experience. High School graduates will enter the program as adults (18 years or older) and will be hired by a temporary employment agency. The internship will begin on July 5, 2022, and will end on July 29, 2022. Working hours will be adjusted to meet the budgeted amount per student. Interns will earn $15.00 an hour. All payroll deductions, worker’s comp, and other payroll costs will be handled by the employment agency. Employers will have the opportunity to coach and mentor the intern to improve job retention.
The following is a breakdown of the employer’s role:
1. Your organization will work closely with Chris McCall-Hopkins to promote your job opportunities. This includes providing job descriptions, company information, and any other recruitment materials that will increase students' interest.
2. Your organization will be invited to connect with the teacher or program instructor to do presentations, demonstrations, or to share an evaluation on how to improve classroom learning to meet workplace needs. The goal is for the educators to understand your needs and prepare the students for the job.
3. To improve the intern's recruitment efforts, employers can host a "Work-based Learning" experience for one or more students. This is a program that allows the student to come to your facility and experience your workplace. There is no cost for this program. A career counselor will help evaluate the student and obtain your input on how to improve the students' job readiness.
4. Once students apply for the summer internship at your company, you will schedule a job interview. The student will be instructed to send you a resume and a letter of recommendation from the instructor.
5. When selecting the student or students who can participate in your summer internship, you will work with Staffing Source to complete the hiring process. All payroll, relevant screening, and other hiring information will be handled by the agency. Employers need to designate a coach to work with the employment agency to make sure that the process is efficient.
6. The employment agency will issue an invoice to the employer and a copy to DCMO BOCES. DCMO BOCES will issue payment to the employer within 7 days of invoice to cover the billed payroll expenses.
7. A full agreement with all conditions will be provided for employer review before committing to any paid internship. Once approved, employers can match their jobs to the pool of graduates. The agreement solidifies the funding and will initiate the hiring process.
EMPLOYER COMMITMENT:
For each student funded by this grant, the employer commits to offering the same paid internship opportunity for another intern from July 5, 2023, through July 31, 2023.
For the 2023 Summer Internship, the employer will have the choice of using a temporary employment agency or covering all payroll and managing tasks in-house. In the event that the employer is unable to host the internship, the grant funding of $2,500 will be paid back to DCMO BOCES to be used to fund the paid internship at a different site.