As a product of technical school myself, a proud supporter of Gwinnett Tech and Chairman of their Board of Trustees, I often get asked about how students can take their technical education and turn it into a career.
Gwinnett Tech serves more than 21,000 individuals each year in over 140 degree and certificate programs, adult education and other coursework. They have added a brand new program called Launch Pointe to include work-based learning coursework to help students gain experience in actual work environments.
Employers increasingly look for graduates who bring the tangible experience of having applied principles learned in the classroom into actual workplace settings through internships and similar learning experiences.
They seek students who have mastered vital employment skills, including effectively and professionally communicating with customers, independently solving problems, meeting crucial deadlines and leading teams toward achieving goals.
These are the skills that impress employers and set those students up for lifelong success.
About Launch Pointe
Launch Pointe will serve as a one-stop resource for work-based learning and career development. Working with both large and small business employers, it will develop internships to match students with training opportunities that align with their programs of study to further enhance their classroom instruction and support academic learning outcomes.
Additionally, these internships will serve as a fertile training ground for aspiring student entrepreneurs by providing exposure to sound business principles and work ethics.
This outreach will directly benefit students like David Hardy, our most recent recipient of our scholarship at Gwinnett Tech.
Next Steps
The Launch Pointe program has included a search for a Director of Career Experience to develop and expand work-based learning opportunities for currently enrolled students.
I’m excited to announce Gwinnett Tech has hired Phoebe Coquerel, an experienced and dedicated employee who will focus on developing new internship opportunities with local businesses while supporting existing ones. This experiential learning gives hard-working students invaluable real-world experience in their industry of choice.
If you are a local business and want to graciously open your doors to our community’s workforce of tomorrow, Phoebe will be a valuable resource that can answer all of your questions and connect you with eager students that are ready to help. She can be reached at 678-226-6969 or via email.
Together, we are all working towards a goal of developing and launching 200 new student internships with business partners throughout our community!
