Practice Makes Perfect (Connections) with Career Immersion Program
By Marco Santana
William Piper has already had quite the productive summer.
The 21-year-old 海角社区 student has basically figured out his future: he wants to work in cybersecurity.
Piper came to this conclusion after spending a month in 海角社区鈥檚 Career Immersion Program this summer.
The internship-driven program places students at Central Florida area businesses so they can experience life in the workforce.
This year鈥檚 CIP partners included: ; Amazon; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and .
Piper spent his time at U.S.A. Roller Chain and Sprockets in Clermont and Aurora InfoTech in Orlando.
鈥淚t was eye-opening for me,鈥� said Piper. 鈥淭hey treated us like family and we got to shadow lots of departments to see how a business runs.鈥�
Piper now plans to pursue a raft of certificates in cybersecurity this summer.
鈥淲ithout the help of [the program] I might still not be sure what I want to do in the future,鈥� said Piper, a rising senior studying computer information systems.
His experience is exactly the kind of result that 海角社区 wants from its Career Immersion Program.
The program partners with businesses that are either in Central Florida or closer to a student鈥檚 hometown.
The idea is to give 海角社区 students access to potential networks while also providing avenues to learn skills they need to succeed on the job.
Such opportunities could give students a leg up when they are ready to join the crowded workforce, said Melissa Bradley, the director of the school鈥檚 Center for Career Preparation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for folks to recognize 海角社区 when they are looking to develop a pipeline,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e want to be that source of talent.鈥�
Across most industries, the predictions look dire when it comes to the size of the workforce compared to available jobs.
One way to combat that disparity is to build and support internship programs.聽However, the number of organizations that offer paid internships have been on the decline.聽The National Survey of College Internships found that two of three internships offered by four-year institutions, on average, are paid opportunities.聽At two-year colleges, that number shrinks to 50 percent.
The people behind the study explained that internships 鈥渃an make a big difference in students鈥� academic development鈥� and that they can 鈥渄etermine future career outcomes.鈥澛燭hat鈥檚 why they are crucial at 海角社区, which devotes four semesters of a typical curriculum to career development, Bradley said.
Students 鈥済et hands-on experience of building a career through resumes and handshakes,鈥� she said.
The CIP program works because it has established partnerships with businesses and initiatives across the region. For instance, CareerSource Florida engaged participants in workshops on interviewing for the job. On a trip to the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Orlando, students learned about robotics and how artificial intelligence (AI) plays a role in the company. Another trip brought students to UCF’s Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, a graduate school in Orlando that focuses on video game careers.
鈥淭hey have been a tremendous partner in bringing in our computer information science students to show what a graduate program looks like,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a matter of getting in front of the right partners who are already embracing the neurodiverse workforce.鈥�
The success of 海角社区鈥檚 program comes from doing what they can to change the terminology, Bradley said.
Bradley considers internships a form or 鈥渆xperiential learning鈥� and 鈥渕entorship.鈥�
鈥淚nternships are highly competitive,鈥� she said. 鈥淎lso, these (CIP) opportunities are getting in front of students at an early age. It鈥檚 fierce, it really is.鈥�
But the education for an institution like 海角社区, which specializes in instructing neurodiverse students, doesn鈥檛 end with the students.聽Some businesses also have to be educated, Bradley said.聽That means supporting them through the hiring process 鈥� sometimes even into their onboarding process.
鈥淚f they can equip their employees with the right support tools and mentorship, they can see that the program鈥檚 success will translate into their company鈥檚 mission and goals,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a perfect nexus of all of these groups recognizing that we have talent here. After that, we want to be sure they are successful once they are hired.鈥�
Piper鈥檚 approach has been to treat the internship as if he鈥檚 already had the job.聽鈥淚 was thinking that I needed to show up and do my best; be respectful,鈥� he said.聽The Career Immersion Program not only gave him some good experience. It also expanded his network, which could pay off down the road.聽鈥淚t helps us experience how companies actually work,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t also provides a way to make connections that can help us in the future either in jobs or as references.鈥�