| Hello families, Thank you for registering for Professional Pathways! We are quickly approaching the time when our pre-internship program will be getting underway. This message is intended to answer questions you may have about what’s coming. Am I registered / accepted? Yes! You have signed up for the pre-internship program. We will begin to get ready for internships to begin in January. What do I need to do now? Just keep watching your inbox for details about meeting times and places. When does it start? The pre-internship program will start the week of December 5. Look for another email with details about dates/times you may choose to join.We will work to accommodate a variety of schedules and needs.Internships with companies will start in January and will run for approximately 8-10 weeks, depending on your project’s needs. What will my student earn? If they are eligible for employment in the US, $22/hour.If not, you are still welcome to participate—we just can’t pay anyone who is ineligible to work in the US. The pre-internship portion (December) is not paid; getting your student into our payroll system is one of the main goals of this period. Payment will begin when your student begins working in earnest on their project. Everyone will be able to: • gain or refine skills • develop a professional network • evaluate potential careers in a low-risk environment • build experience to list on college or job applications What will the work consist of? Many of our interns will be working together in small groups in order to complete a project. These projects will vary from partner to partner, and will need different levels of technical skill. Some examples of work your teen could be doing are: • completing, reviewing, and helping to improve a curriculum on technical skills • investigating real world data and testing a hypothesis with it • web development • playtesting for a game developer (note: this is different than playing games for fun!) • creating videos and/or podcasts about technical companies (in the Pittsburgh region) • documenting the work of other teams (so that we can get the funding to do this again in the future!) What companies are project partners? We are excited about and appreciative of our partners! But we will share the details of the companies only after we have signed our agreements with them; these are underway but not finalized yet. The companies are mostly based in the Western PA region, and have been selected in part for their reliance on technical skills such as programming, design, and engineering. When and where will the work happen? The pre-internship program will be offered at multiple clubs on multiple nights—details to follow. The internship work will happen in groups, mostly in our clubhouses. How will I know what team I’m on? During the pre-internship program, we will be working to build these teams. We will be considering the skills needed, availability, existing friendships, and other factors in order to set everyone up for success as much as possible. How many hours per week will I need to work? Plan on 5-8 hours/week. Because the internships will take place during the school year, we understand that everyone’s availability will be somewhat limited and may change during the internship period. Each week you should expect at least one meeting to check progress and set goals. You are likely to need to spend additional hours each week to meet those goals. What is the absence / sick policy? You will only get paid for the work you do. If you’re unable to make consistent contributions you may be removed from the team, at the discretion of your mentor(s). Can I get help with transportation? Yes! You should plan to meet in person at one of our clubhouses or at whatever site is determined to be the most feasible one for your team. We can help you with travel costs by providing PRT passes if that is useful. |
