Talent and motivation are two qualities that corporations want. They seem to be in short supply so some corporations have decided to strike while the iron is hot -- in high school. Business Week has found companies that hand-pick high school students and mold them into prospects for the future.
Norman Thomas High School in midtown Manhattan has become a valuable source for corporations needing talented students. A mentoring program has been set up with corporate executives visiting Norman Thomas H.S. on Fridays to work with students that show promise.
Who Is Looking?
Deloitte & Touche LLP recruits students with strengths in nursing, engineering and auditing. Accounting is one of the fastest-growing fields in the U.S. It is expected to add 50,000 new jobs a year for the next 10 years. Now, that's job security.
Lockheed Martin Corp. has an apprenticeship program set up in high schools to recruit students that have engineering talents. Students work 10-20 hours per week while still in high school.
Agilent Technologies Inc. has spent several years watching contestants in the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair. Students compete for $50,000 in college scholarships. How competitive is this? Students compete from 40 countries and 20% of those competing have applied for patents.
Tenet Healthcare Corp. in Rowlett, TX is finding that they must meet state education department rules about clinical instruction for emergency medical technicians, nurse assistants, and surgical technicians.
How Does It Work?
Most students that sign on with companies end up going to college. They have the option of doing an internship and earn a wage while doing so. They are trained for the job and also in etiquette for business lunches and appropriate work attire for on the job.
Companies that hire students and assist them through college may have them trained exactly to their needs. The curriculum may be tailored to fit the student and the position. Corporations know exactly what students have learned because they taught them. In order to entice the high schools to join in this venture, corporations sometimes donate equipment to the high schools and coordinate a curriculum with them.
Many students work for the corporations while in high school, continue to work for them while going to college, and have spots reserved for them when they graduate. Sounds like a formula for success.
It's a win/win situation. Students win. Corporations win.
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Copyright article 2006 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
