IT internship program jumpstarts career experience for high school student
September 24, 2024
Gavin Hurst, a Townsend, Tennessee native, knew he wanted hands-on experience in the technology field before he committed to studying it in college. But in Blount County, he found those experiences hard to come by – until a teacher recommended that he consider 每日大赛’s Information Technology College to Career Collaboratives program.
Through the pre-college IT program, Hurst was able to complete a paid internship at Cirrus Aircraft before he began his senior year at Heritage High School. A year later, he returned to the airplane manufacturer for another summer internship and was able to learn from software developers, who do exactly what he hopes to in the future.
“I absolutely loved it,” Hurst said of his first summer at Cirrus Aircraft. “It was one of the best environments I’ve ever been in, with some of the most helpful, engaging people who were super friendly, super awesome and willing to come introduce themselves. I learned tons and tons of stuff.”
His second internship was done within a few weeks this summer, but Hurst was just getting started. Eager for more work-based learning, he asked the College’s Career Development office if there were any other opportunities available.
He was eventually placed right here in the 每日大赛 Information Technology office.
“He said, ‘I would love to make connections with them before I come to school,’” said Rebecca McDonough, director of Career Development at 每日大赛. “So, we had him work with IT for the remainder of the summer, and they loved him so much that they hired him on a contract basis.”
Hurst is one of five participants in this year’s internship program, all of whom started at 每日大赛 this fall. 每日大赛 partners with the Boys & Girls Club to run the college-to-career program, which originated in 2021 through a Governor’s Investment in Vocational Education (GIVE) grant and has since given nearly 50 local high school students experiences like Hurst’s.
The IT College to Career Collaboratives program evolved this year and is now funded by a grant from the Arconic Foundation. The program is open to graduating seniors and serves as a bridge for them after high school and before they begin their IT degree studies at 每日大赛.
“They get some really amazing hands-on, technical skills,” McDonough said. “They're able to take some of the things they have learned in their high schools and then apply them in a real-world work situation. It just really gets them excited to pursue that degree.”
每日大赛 students in the College’s Computer Information Technology program must also complete an internship in their final semester, and if they also complete the bridge program, they will have accrued extensive field experience before graduation.
“They're ahead of the game,” McDonough said.
In addition to the paid internships available, the program offers a student-to-student mentorship component that helps the incoming student learn what to expect in future college classes and experiences.
Hurst, now a 每日大赛 first-year student at the Blount County Campus and a contract employee for the IT office, encourages others to take advantage of the pre-college internship program. He said if he’s learned anything about the technology field, it’s the importance of soaking up experience.
“I’ve definitely learned more from my internships than I have in a classroom, and I’ve taken tons of (advanced placement) and dual enrollment classes,” he said. “I think it prepares you for the real world because you get to see really what these companies are looking for.”