Current Initiatives
1st Job-Lincoln (2013 – current)
In 2013, the Workforce Readiness Committee (WRC) piloted an initiative called “1st Job-Lincoln,” which provided paid summer internship opportunities to Lincoln high school youth in the information technology field. In 2023 the program has opened to 13 pathways at The Career Academy creating a wider variety of experiences. The two primary goals are to: (1) help prepare a foundation for youth who are seeking a career in one of these fields, and (2) provide employers an opportunity to seek out qualified candidates for future employment needs. 1st Job-Lincoln seeks out “Champion Employers” who “champion the way” for our community’s youth to access a professional, on-the-job experience at an early age.
Learn More About This Exciting Program
Since its pilot inauguration, 1st Job-Lincoln has provided job coaching to over 200 high school students and has worked with over 50 different employers in our community. This has resulted in the employment of over 100 high school students in paid, professional IT internship settings!
Responsibilities:
- Consistently attend WRC meetings (usually held monthly; approx. 1 ½ hours in length).
- Actively participate in the development, planning, and implementation of WRC initiatives, such as 1st Job-Lincoln.
- Attend and participate in special events sponsored by WRC (e.g., job fairs, mock interviews, and other activities associated with WRC initiatives).
- Assist LincolnHR with developing ideas for chapter meetings to create awareness and provide education and other advocacy assistance in the area of workforce readiness.
- Complete other assignments as requested by the WRC Director.
Are you interested in volunteering on the Workforce Readiness Committee? Do you have questions we can answer?
Contact the Workforce Readiness Director, Kaylie Hogan-Schnittker, at kaylie@selectlincoln.org
Resources:
- Mayor’s Youth Employment Program
- Youth Employment Support Services
- Jobs and Extended Learning Opportunities for LPS Students (to submit jobs to promote to LPS students)
- Resources to Recruit, Hire, and Retain Employees with Disabilities
- Employer Disability Tool Kit (presentation by Christine Walters from the July 2012 LincolnHR Meeting)
- InternNE, Powered by Aksarben
Community Partners
- Josh Jones, The Career Academy
Committee Members
Members of the Workforce Readiness Committee are currently involved with many activities associated with our 1st Job-Lincoln initiative. This includes brainstorming ways to continually improve the program and participating in special events: job coaching activities such as resume assistance, mock interviews, how to apply for a job; sponsoring a job fair; working with community employers (Champion Employers) and high school students; and ending with a “Celebration Event” to recognize participating employers and interns. Critical to the success of 1st Job-Lincoln is our collaborative work and relationship-building with community stakeholders, such as The Career Academy, the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, and the Greater Lincoln Workforce.
Current Committee Members:
- Kaylie Hogan-Schnittker, Director
- Angie Jaeger
- Matthew Wegener
- Jocelyn Crabtree
- Mary Schropfer