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IgniteU Mission Statement

IgniteU's Mission is to connect students and local businesses through job-shadowing and internship opportunities that will help students gain the "real world" experience necessary to ignite their career in the Central Valley. One of the most valuable experiences we can offer to students to help them realize their future career goal is to bring a glimpse of the future to them...to give them an opportunity to experience their future career first hand...and to help illuminate the steps they need to take to reach that brilliant future! "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles by it." Margaret Fuller

• Provide exposure to the potential careers available in the Central Valley to high school and college students, while helping to increase retention of local talent.
• Provide a "go to" source for high school students upon receipt of a work permit.
• Help high school and college students gain "real world" experience and knowledge in their chosen field while also giving them the opportunity to demonstrate ability with a specific employer.
• Develop relationships between local talent and local business that will facilitate and encourage job-seeking in our community after graduation.
• Provide high school and college students the opportunity to increase their job and social skills while building their resume.
• Encourage Central Valley businesses to play an active role in positively impacting and molding our future workforce by hosting job-shadows and internships.

Sherri Darpinian is President and Executive Director of IgniteU which is co-developed in partnership with CentralValleyJobs.com.

All Rights Reserved. IgniteU 2013 ©

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Career Summary

Career Days take shape in multiple fashions, but have the same underlying goal of exposing students to different career paths. The vast majority of the programs take place in the classroom with speakers from the business community talking to a group of students about their occupation, business, and/or industry. The targeted age group varies from grades K - 12 depending on the program. Part of our objective is to increase the number of businesses and schools taking part in some type of career exposure program/fair. Further, we would like to create a set of tools that are current and start-up programs can access them to make the process easier to administer.

The Career Day Committee is currently in the process of "updating" SPIE's website to promote Career Day activities across Stanislaus County. We have an additional 25+ names that will be added to SPIE's current list of speakers. Our group has also assembled contact information and a brief summary for several programs for schools to use as a guide when hosting a Career Day. Our final piece that we are currently working on is a set of useful "tools". This includes preparation materials for students, topics for speakers and resources to help programs find additional speakers. We will be putting an updated speakers list, program summaries and tools section on SPIE's website and hope to "go live" sometime during the summer so that it is fully functional for schools to use in the Fall. Our hope is to make an online resource for schools to use to start or improve Career Day programs.

Bear Walters
bear@cammodesto.com

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Intern Summary

The Intern Team of Expect More Stanislaus is excited about the progress made in the first quarter of 2012. We still have a long way to go but the team has developed some strong relationships in the first days of this new venture.

Below are some bullet point details of the progress so far. We look forward the then next two quarters of 2012 and additional internship relationships being developed. For now, the outline of this status report tells a very positive story of foundations laid for Expect More Stanislaus.

The following was accomplished in Q1-2012

1. 1. Visited Modesto City School programs to uncover potential students for internships.
2. 2. Modesto Chamber of Commerce is employing (2) Political Science interns and (1) clerical intern from Modesto Junior College.
3. 3. Modesto Chamber of Commerce is employing an intern from CSUS as a videographer and photographer.
4. 4. During the summer the Modesto Chamber of Commerce will place a local college intern from UC Santa Barbara.
5. 5. Currently in the process of setting-up Ignite U connection.
6. 6. Researched all legal requirements and rules for volunteers (high schools students) and interns (college students).
7. 7. Working with S.P.I.E to assist them in reaching their goal of 40 businesses sponsoring 40 teacher internships over the summer.
8. 8. We are turning our attention to generating significantly more internships for the summer and those steps include:
   

   A. Completing a media plan for promotion that includes a series of articles in Progress, online elements, an article that compliments what Expect More is doing on the overall initiative, and local radio and TV.

   B. One of our upcoming articles is about successful internships, and we will have a matrix that can be posted on Ignite U, which is an existing vehicle from Commonwealth Modesto that we have chosen to promote as a one-stop place for information and postings of internships.

   C. Our work this spring will include methodology for measuring the number of internships in the county so we can have a baseline for judging toward our goals. And we need to develop a better understanding of how the task force might assist in funding that would promote more business and more student participation in internships. Right now we're encouraging businesses to budget for them this summer.

9. 9. Actively involved with Graham Tuck Forensics/Biotechnology Academy Coordinator at Enoch High School in acquiring intern opportunities for (30) students that can help develop their employability skills for approximately (10) weeks over the summer.

As you can see we have reason to be optimistic that the coming days of 2012 will produce even more productive relationships, but more importantly, more internships in the Modesto /Stanislaus area.

Cecil Russell
Crussell@modchamber.org

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ROP/Technical Education

The Expect More Stanislaus ROP/Career Technical Education Committee has developed one essential goal that will, in the end, increase the knowledge and awareness of existing ROP/CTE programs and in turn allow current and potential business leaders the opportunity to share valuable resources to schools and students for existing programs.

• Goal: Develop a marketing plan highlighting existing ROP/CTE programs that includes all stakeholders (i.e. students, parents, and business).

Since October 2011 the ROP/CTE committee has met on a monthly basis. Two commercials have been developed to market ROP/CTE to students as well as business leaders and parents. The commercials debuted on March 5, 2012 through Comcast and Charter Cable. Commercials will run for two weeks for a total of 764 spots on channels ranging from CNBC to VHI. Local high school districts will receive a copy of the commercials to be used in promoting ROP/CTE programs. The Stanislaus County Office of Education will have a link to the commercials on their website.

In addition, a ROP/CTE Facebook page created by students with student input has been developed in collaboration with Brad Cornwell at Johansen High School. Students were polled in Mr. Cornwell's class and listed several areas they would like included on the page. Examples: What are the top earning jobs and where are geographically located? What are the educational requirements for the top jobs and what types of jobs will no longer exist in the next four years? Information will be provided from the CA Department of Education and the CA Learning Resource Network to name just of the resources.

The committee will be working on providing local newspapers and publications with opportunities to highlight existing ROP/CTE programs throughout Stanislaus County. Local school districts will be encouraged to invite local businesses to visit their classrooms and participate in appropriate activities.

Cindy Young
cyoung@stancoe.org

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Mentoring: Building A Youth Mentor Army

The Youth Mentoring Working Group has been inspired by The Expect More Stanislaus (EMS) approach; exploring ways that business and various community sectors can assist and coordinate with our education partners in order to make long lasting improvements for our Stanislaus community.

By reaching out to the public, the workgroup has developed a stronger understanding and appreciation for youth mentor services that are available today. Through the first quarter of the year one strategic plan the work group has already developed a rich mentor affiliate contact list, a mentor program community directory, has distributed an on-line program survey, and has invited the creation of a new countywide youth mentoring consortium.

Representatives from all identified mentoring organizations in Stanislaus County have been invited to the kick off consortium meeting to be held on April 19, 2012 at the Kirk Lindsey Center (10th Street Place - Plaza) at 9:00 a.m. to discuss programming, cooperation, community outreach, and promotional strategies. All this, in an effort to collectively promote the powerfully effective approaches found through youth mentoring in Stanislaus County.

The EMS working group has completed both one and three year strategic plans, road maps that recognize the two dimensional spheres of influence: K - 6th grade youth and 7th grade and higher mentoring programs. The group has identified a community champion for both spheres to coordinate and promote the consortium concept while dealing with very unique age based characteristics.

The Mentor Working Group is focused on developing a common message that will help to build upon identified initiatives in the most productive and most effective manner.

Together, we can make a significant difference in the lives of our young people.

Won't YOU join our mentor army?

For Information on how YOU can participate:

Keith D. Boggs
Assistant Executive Officer
County of Stanislaus
209.652.1514

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Business and Education

The Expect More Stanislaus Business and Education Collaboration committee is very proud to see what has developed in the first quarter of this first year. The other four committees pulled together to continue building on their foundations with very little need for support. From this report you can see the progress made and solid foundations they all have already. Well done to all of the committees!!

The Business and Education Collaboration Committee has been working on the foundations of the overall movement itself; process, reporting, tools etc. We developed and published the 2012 plan, outlined the content and requirements for the Expect More Stanislaus web site, pulled together and published the first quarterly report, and determined some fundamental "operating procedures" for the Expect More movement.

We recognize that there has been limited communication in the first quarter with regard to the overall movement. That was by design. Our committee felt that the other committees were busy getting things done and organizing themselves around the new vision of collaboration. Getting things done and building on success is the overall vision. In our big meeting in October we said this was not going to be a "big TA-DA" kind of movement. Expect More will focus on results, positive re-enforcement, and building bridges as opposed making grand and sweeping proclamations. The results will speak more loudly than we can. That said, as we go forward you will see more communication and have more collaboration in the back ground.

Thanks to all who have joined us in the vision of improving our community through the movement of Expect More Stanislaus.

Sean Carroll
sean@rossfcarrollinc.com

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an internship?

An internship is a temporary work or volunteer opportunity designed to give you experience with a specific company in a specific position. While each internship program is different, the overall goal is to provide you with on the job experience and to give you exposure to a specific industry or company. It is a great way for employers to evaluate the current labor force and a great way for you to experience the employment opportunities locally.

What is a job shadow?

A job shadow is similar to an internship but is designed to give you a more broad experience within a company or industry. Many times a job shadow is conducted in a group setting and you may shadow several different positions. It may be more observation oriented than hands-on oriented.

What kind of work will I be doing at an internship/job shadow?

Each employer will have different needs and expectations from interns. The experiences you gain through and internship or job shadow are designed to give you exposure and experience to what the job or industry work actually entails. All work is meant to be meaningful to the intern and the employer.

How long will the internship/job shadow last?

Each internship/job shadow will have different time frames and is up to the employer to establish how long the opportunity will last. It may be one day or several months. Please check the internship listing for more details.

What is the difference between a paid and unpaid internship?

In a paid internship you are compensated for your time. In an unpaid internship you are volunteering your time. Both types of internships will give you very similar company/industry experience.

Is there an opportunity for employment once the internship ends?

Any employment opportunities are at the sole discretion of the employer. It should not be expected that the employer will offer employment, but the opportunity does exist.

How do I apply for an internship?

Please follow instructions in the job shadow or internship listing for more information on how to apply for the position.

Why should I apply for an internship or job shadow opportunity?

Being involved in a job shadow or internship program has many benefits. You are able to gain experience in a particular industry, learn more about the opportunities within an industry or company and make contacts for future employment. It can also give you direction if you are unsure about what career path to follow. You may find that you really enjoy doing work you never thought you would like.

Can I receive High School or College credits for an internship or job shadow?

Depending on where you attend school you may or may not be eligible to receive credits. It is best to contact your school's career center and/or counseling office.

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