Morrow County students will have the opportunity to work right in their own backyard through a new program – the Morrow County Student Internship Program.
Several partners are involved in the program – Morrow County School District, Ione School District, the Port of Morrow, the InterMountain Education Service District (IMESD) and multiple community businesses.
The program is funded through the Morrow Education Foundation, which receives funds from CREZ 11.
The internships are open to high school seniors and juniors who qualify. Students will be employees of the IMESD and will be paid minimum wage. Students can receive high school credit for their work experience, but must maintain 90 percent attendance at school and at their workplace.
More than 25 businesses are on board to hire interns, including Bank of Eastern Oregon, the city of Boardman, Columbia River Health, Port of Morrow, Morrow County Grain Growers, Blue Mountain Manufacturing, Boardman Foods, Lamb-Weston and more. Students will learn from medical providers, mechanics, analysts, and IT professionals representing multiple trades as they navigate potential career pathways.
Students will start working this fall when school is back in session. Jobs are available for a semester or the entire school year. Students will work an average of 10 hours per week.
The purpose of the internships are to introduce high school students to jobs and careers that are already located in Morrow County. Students will benefit by earning income, while local businesses can utilize local employees.
“This is what we have been trying to do for years with Career Technical Education (CTE) – teaching kids how to get a job, work successfully in a job and consider a career here in their own community,” said Dirk Dirksen, superintendent of the Morrow County School District.
The students applied for the jobs in April and went through the interviewing process on May 14 and 15.
For more information about the program, contact Kalie Davis, Workforce Training Program Manager at the Port of Morrow, at kalied@portofmorrow.com.
