Growing Our Own: Partnering with the City School District

摘要

In early 2002, the President of the Rochester Institute ofrnTechnology, Dr. Albert Simone, was approached by a boardrnmember from the Rochester Business Education Alliance,rnencouraging him to participate in the Youth ApprenticeshiprnProgram. This program, with a long successful history in thernRochester area, partners high school sophomores with localrnbusinesses. Prospective students must meet a stringent set ofrnrequirements before being selected to interview with the business ofrntheir choice. If they are hired, they begin a two-year paidrnapprenticeship, working throughout the summer and after schoolrnduring the academic year.rnWhen Dr. Simone accepted the challenge to allow a partnership withrnthe University, he opened the door to a history-making opportunity.rnThis was the first time that an institution of higher education hadrnjoined the program. It became the first time that the program wasrnable to offer information technology apprenticeships. The Presidentrnagreed to fund two students in the first year and I agreed to create arnreal-life work experience for them.rnWe are now into Year Three of this very successful partnership, withrnour first two students having graduated from high school. Theyrnhave both been accepted into RIT for the fall and we have the bonusrnof being able to integrate them into the ranks of our ITS studentrnemployees – coming to the University as freshmen but with twornyears of ITS experience. This paper will focus on their journey withrnus and the mutually satisfying outcome.