A number of employers exhibiting at the NW Youth Careers Expo offer internships, mentorships, job opportunities and job shadows for high school students. Here are a few:
Portland Parks & Recreation: Portland Parks & Recreation has many summer job openings and internship opportunities for high school students. Visit their booth at the Expo and check out their options online.
ACE Mentor Program: The ACE Mentor Program is an after-school mentorship program for students interested in exploring careers in architecture, construction management and engineering. It is staffed by PWA and open to students from the Portland metro region. ACE will have a booth at the Expo, and many of the exhibitors from the construction and design industries participate in ACE.
CDK Global: CDK Global does IT and digital marketing for the automotive industry. They intend to hire 10 high school interns for their Portland office this summer, through a program called Code 2 Career. Students and educators can visit their booth and chat with them directly for more information.
Elemental Technologies: Elemental makes software that allows videos to stream online. Its clients include ESPN, Comcast, HBO, the BBC and many others. Elemental is developing a summer internship program for high school students; eligibility may be limited to targeted Portland high schools.
Kaiser Permanente Northwest: Kaiser’s booth will include the patient simulators (manikins) used by many health care professionals to practice their procedures. Students can also talk with Kaiser representatives about the organization’s internships, job shadows and scholarship opportunities for high school students. (Click here to learn more about Kaiser’s paid summer internship program and here to learn how to apply.)
Wieden+Kennedy: This Portland-based advertising agency is considered one of the world’s best, serving clients such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Levi’s and Old Spice. It is offering a job shadow opportunity to students who participate in the Expo. Students will have an assignment to redesign a logo and will need to submit their answers via email by the following week. The summer job shadow will last a week and is an incredible opportunity to go behind-the-scenes at a creative agency.
Multnomah County: Multnomah County participates in Summer Works, a career-readiness program delivered through Worksystems. Participants get job training and 180 hours of paid work experience.
Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian agency based in Portland. It has volunteer opportunities at its local headquarters.
Apprenticeship training centers: We have several apprenticeship training centers at the Expo. Among them is the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center, which is taking applications for its apprenticeship program this summer. Be sure to stop by the booths of the Sheet Metal Institute and the Pacific Northwest Carpenters Institute as well.
Other exhibitors, including Gunderson, offer job opportunities to teenagers as young as 18. This video from the 2015 Expo includes a clip toward the end of a Gunderson employee describing job opportunities.
