2014, the first year of the program featured 12 companies and 16 students; the following summer consisted of 16 employers and 17 students. The summer of 2016 welcomed 2 additional firms, Commodore Builders and Dellbrook Construction, as well as 4 new companies who participated as part of a pilot program with NAIOP Massachusetts (NAIOP).
Participating companies include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Authority
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Creating the Plan
Due to the success of the previous two years, many components of the 2016 CVP Career Academy remained the foundation of the program. The length of the internship, compensation, and skills development workshops were consistent with the prior years. The CVP Career Academy continues to be a 10-week summer internship where the students gain full time experience through working 40 hours per week. We researched compensation rates and committed to paying the participants a competitive rate of $14 per hour.
The 2016 program saw an increase in both the number of student participants and employers. The core program structure was enhanced based on the experience of the previous two years and the feedback that was received from all participants. An additional workshop was added where students learned the role of lawyers in real estate development, as were additional group outings, and networking opportunities. All of the employers who participated in year two returned as employers in year three. The 2016 program garnered heightened interest from many other organizations, including some who have relationships with CV but did not have direct involvement in the D Street project. This led to the increase of participating employers from 16 in 2015, to 22 in 2016.
All participating employers were asked to provide the students with challenging assignments and include them in meaningful projects. Each student had a direct supervisor at his or her placement firm. To further ensure constant effective interaction and communication, Sandra King of STKing Associates was again engaged as the strategic program liaison. She provided weekly reports, evaluation of progress, and helped make adjustments when necessary.
Working in concert with representatives from the UMass Boston Office of Careers and Internships proved to be valuable in making sure that the program ran smoothly.
2016 interns Raven Kelsey and Devon Austrie
5