Sarasota, Fla. (March 26, 2020) – The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s CareerEdge workforce initiative, is partnering with Suncoast and Manatee Technical Colleges to place their full-time trades students, who are only months away from graduation, in paid internships to gain hands-on skills, course credit and a paycheck while schools are closed.
“We are in unprecedented times. Working with the technical colleges, we came up with a creative approach allowing trades students to continue their education through hands-on training. Our partnership provides students near the completion of their education the chance to pursue the skills needed to gain employment after graduation,” said Mireya Eavey, CareerEdge Executive Vice President.
Responding to the evolution of need during this time, CareerEdge adapted their Intern Reimbursement program model to make funding for this program possible. CareerEdge funding will reimburse participating employers $10/hour of the intern’s wage and is asking companies to pay their interns at least $13/hour.
CareerEdge is seeking employers in construction, HVAC, electrical, automotive, manufacturing, and plumbing to hire technical school student interns to continue their education through a quality on-the-job training experience.
“This program helps the students and our business to meet our customer’s needs. This is a wonderful partnership. I encourage local employers in the trades to take advantage of this unique opportunity,” said Bill Pabis, President, Mictron Inc.
When schools reopen, the students will return to complete their programs. The technical schools are developing a procedure to count the internship toward the students’ certification.
Interested businesses can contact Mireya Eavey, Executive Vice President, CareerEdge at: meavey@sarasotachamber.com or 941-809-7430.
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About CareerEdge Funders Collaborative
CareerEdge Funder’s Collaborative is an innovative partnership of business, government, and philanthropic organizations that leverages public and private dollars to provide opportunities for better jobs and wages in Manatee and Sarasota counties. CareerEdge is the workforce development initiative of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. For more information about CareerEdge and its partners, please visit www.careeredgefunders.org or call 941.556.4029.
About the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that works to cultivate Sarasota’s prosperity and quality of life through our member businesses, for more information please call (941) 955-8187 or visit us at www.sarasotachamber.com
