CSTB Honors Summer Job Connection Participants

Career Source Tampa Bay honors summer job participants

~Five youth are awarded scholarships~

TAMPA, FL – CareerSource Tampa Bay’s (CSTB) Summer Job Connection (SJC) honored the program’s top participants at a special awards ceremony on Monday, October 21, 2019. The event was held at the CareerSource Tampa Bay Center located at 9215 North Florida Avenue in Tampa at 6:00 p.m.

The Summer Job Connection provided Hillsborough County youth, ages 16-21 years of age with a paid summer internship position. 587 youth participated in the 2019 program and were paid $11.00 per hour for a maximum of 24-hours per week. Internships were held from June 10 to July 19, 2019. “I am extremely proud of the 2019 Summer Job Connection, especially for our first year,” said CSTB CEO, John Flanagan.

“When I came to Tampa this year I challenged my staff to develop a program that could provide immediate help to our youth in Hillsborough County. We could not have been successful without the great support of our partners which included private businesses, Hillsborough County School District and Hillsborough County Government.” While the unemployment rate in Hillsborough County is low, 3.4% (July, 2019) unemployment among youth nationally is much higher.

Youth hired for the SJC were paired up with career counselors who worked with them on a variety of job seeking skills, including updating their resume, appearance for the job, interviewing skills, life budgeting and career development. CareerSource Tampa Bay partnered with Hillsborough County businesses and governmental agencies. There were 90 unique employer host worksites including the Hillsborough County School District, the County’s largest employer. Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners also approved funding to help support the program.

Scholarship Recipients:

The following individuals received post-secondary education scholarships. This program was designed to recognize and reward youth who successfully completed the SJC program and graduated from High School. (Scholarship recipients/schools they plan on attending or attending below).

 Tatianna Belen – Business Development and Entrepreneurship, Hillsborough Community College (HCC)

 Juquan Hersey – Medical Assistant, HCC

 Ziomara Santana – Registered Nurse, HCC

 Countess Kelly -Paramedic certificate, HCC

 Maegan Knight – Veterinary Technology AS, HCC Excellence Award:

Minimise USA LLC received this award in recognition of an SJC partner’s outstanding dedication for embracing the overarching goal of CareerSource Tampa Bay’s Summer Job Connection and being a great partner. Creating a positive work environment for the youth with meaningful work experience opportunities that taught the youth new skills and challenged them to excel beyond their imagination.

Above and Beyond Award: Hillsborough County School District was recognized as a SJC employer who consistently exceeded expectations by going above and beyond the CareerSource Tampa Bay’s Summer Job Connection program requirements and being an exceptional employer partner. Worksite Hero: Tampa attorney Rinky Parwani was recognized as a SJC Worksite Supervisor who was a dedicated leader of a SJC intern, going above and beyond to inspire the youth to excel during their internship.

She encouraged the youth to dream beyond what they thought was every possible, inspired them to consider post-secondary education, registered apprenticeship opportunities and career exploration. Her mentoring helped impact immeasurable change in the youth’s life.

Making the Difference Award: SS American Victory was recognized as a SJC employer who experienced the value of the SJC intern and was able to offer the youth either part time or full time employment. SOAR Award: Recognizes an employer that went above and beyond to make a lasting impression on their summer intern. AC4S Technologies was able to provide mentorship and allow youth to earn certificates during his internship.

Shining Star Award: Tea’Andre Betts-Nunez, a SJC intern went above and beyond during her internship, made a lasting impression on the host worksite, completed all SJC portfolio assignments and was viewed as an essential piece to her team. Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman was recognized for her support and commitment to the Summer Job Connection program. CSTB hopes to expand the SJC program in 2020.

Registration for youth and businesses who want to participate will start in January, 2020. Anyone with questions about the program can email [email protected]

About CareerSource Tampa Bay

CareerSource Tampa Bay programs and initiatives are fully supported by the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture as part of awards totaling $19,293,411.

CareerSource Tampa Bay works with businesses and candidates to leverage their training, retraining, and competitive opportunities in the workforce. Career Source Tampa Bay serves more than 54,600 job candidates annually. CareerSource Tampa Bay, with our five career centers is the single largest source of job candidates in the region from entry-level to executive-level candidates.

Businesses can access Career Source’s wide range of services that include recruiting, training for new and existing employees, targeted hiring events, and retention support strategies. All resources and services are provided at no cost to both businesses and job candidates. Programs funded through CareerSource Tampa Bay are equal opportunity programs with auxiliary aids and services available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Persons using TTY/TTD equipment use Florida Relay Service 711. A proud partner of the American Job Center network to learn more, visit www.careersourcetampabay.com.

• Tags:
• Job Seekers
• Tampa Bay Summer Hires
• Youth