Internships

SAO Partners with the Business Education Compact

SAO members have made it clear that education and workforce development are one of their top priorities to sustaining the growth of Oregon's software industry. As a result, on February 23, 2006 at a joint meeting of Boards, an innovative partnership between the SAO and Business Education Compact (BEC) was launched. It is called SEED: Seeding the Future Workforce.

Greg Kulander, Director of Student & Educator Services at the BEC, showcases the SEED partnership with SAO.

SEED—What is it?
SEED is a strategic initiative that addresses SAO member priorities of targeted workforce development and support of quality education (K-20) through student and educator internships. SAO members have clearly stated the need for a highly qualified workforce in order to remain competitive. The BEC internship services made available to SAO members through this partnership will help groom a future workforce to meet that objective. While productive work is accomplished for the organization, student and educator interns gain practical work experience and bring that knowledge back to the classroom to improve learning and skills development.
In announcing SEED, the SAO is demonstrating leadership in key initiatives identified by the Oregon Business Plan and Regional Business Plan. By doing so, we are not only supporting their own members, but also modeling behavior beneficial to all industries and clusters.

What the BEC offers
From start to finish, the internship process is made simple through the BEC, which serves as the employer of record. The BEC provides all human resource functions as well as standard employment and payroll services. This includes management reports, worker and unemployment compensation and general liability insurance. Students, educators and customers receive ongoing professional support.
Students are hired year-round, while educators can participate in a summer program specially designed to maximize effectiveness for both business and the educator. (Note: students must be a minimum of 16 years of age to participate.)
Turnkey services provided by the BEC include:

• Assisting hiring organization in work/ project identification
  
• Recruiting/ matching of qualified candidates to position
  
• Interview scheduling
  
• Screening as applicable (e.g. drugs, DMV checks . . .)
  
• Developing student learning objectives
  
• Consistent quality checks

Learn more about the SEED initiative and the internship services available at www.becpdx.org and follow the “SAO partnership” link. Or contact Greg Kulander at 503.646.0242 x23 or GKulander@becpdx.org.