Miami-Dade County - Summer Internship

The Employee Relations Department is conducting a Summer Youth Internship Program, which addresses the needs of Dade County youth.

This year’s program is designed to assist with the learning experiences of our youth far beyond the classroom. The program combines a structured mentorship with meaningful work experience. It provides the youth with the following: employment preparation to improve work and behavior skills, which will be gained through orientation training and mentoring; increased exposure to diversity obtained from interactions with a wide range of Interns and the public; and career knowledge gained from employment in a Miami-Dade County Department.

The Summer Youth Internship Program promises to expand our youngsters’ knowledge of the real world of work. Each component of the program helps the participant make better career decisions while learning first hand the impact of public service on the quality of life in Dade County.

	Purpose and goals
	Role of the Interns
	Role of the Counselors
	Recruitment Period
	Pay
	Duration

Purpose and Goals of the Program
To provide an opportunity for Dade County youth to obtain meaningful work experience through on-the-job training assignments within County Departments.
Selected college Interns are assigned as counselors for high school Interns. These counselors provide the important link between high school Interns and department supervisors. Through this important link, counselors are provided an opportunity to develop their leadership skills, interpersonal skills, and gain supervisory experience.

Program goals are to:

develop the self-confidence of our youth.
give youth a better understanding of the community we serve.
give youth the experience of how the County functions, and the services which are provided to residents.
give youth the experience of diverse ideas and people within the organization.
develop networking opportunities for youth.
allow the development of new friendships.
develop the knowledge, and skills of our youth to assist in their future academic endeavors and career goals.

Role of Interns

High school Intern's responsibilities include:
Working the agreed upon days and hours.
Conducting him/herself in a professional manner at all times.
Dressing appropriately.
Understanding office policies and procedures.
Dealing with co-workers/constituents, courteously and politely.
Providing the public with excellent customer service, both on the telephone, and in person.
Presenting an image that commands courtesy, trust, and respect from the public.
Understanding assignment(s) given, and requesting clarification when needed.
Maintaining an ongoing awareness of learning opportunities provided by this Internship, and the goals and objectives of this assignment.
Seeking regular performance feedback, and incorporating suggestions into subsequent work.
Accepting criticism and guidance.
Keeping personal life from interfering with work.
Maintaining good communication with the supervisor and counselor.
Learning more about team organization.

Role of the Counselors
Selected college students will be assigned as counselors for high school students, at a ratio of one to three. In addition to the role of Interns, counselors will be responsible for:

Providing mentorship to the high school Interns.
Providing feedback to the Employee Relations Department and their respective Departments.
Evaluating high school Intern’s performance.
Orienting high school Interns.

Recruitment Period
Monday, February 26, 2007 - Friday, March 9, 2007
Position announcements are listed:

http://www.miamidade.gov/jobs/search_jobs.asp
Job Hotline (305) 375-JOBS
Miami Herald, Classified Section
Resume can be sent to resumes@miamidade.gov or
Mailed to the Employee Relations Department's Center for Employment Application, 140 West Flagler Street, Suite 105, Miami, Florida 33128-1977. Announcements are also distributed to Dade-County Public Schools, and local colleges and universities.

Pay
College Interns will be paid at a rate of $8.00 per hour and high school Interns will be paid at a rate of $6.67 per hour.

Duration
Youth will be employed in a seasonal (AG) status, 40 – hours per week, for a maximum of ten weeks.