MEDP Implements Two Summer Programs to Grow McMinnville's Workforce

Jun 6, 2019

(MCMINNVILLE, OR) - The McMinnville Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) will launch its seventh year of the award-winning McMinnville WORKS Internship Program on June 10, 2019, and the pilot year of the Career Bound Program on June 19, 2019. The two programs are a part of MEDP’s initiative to connect local companies to innovative workforce solutions while attracting and retaining young professionals and qualified workers in McMinnville.

The McMinnville WORKS Internship Program is a nine-week, project-based, paid internship program and is an opportunity for local businesses and students to connect, and to get young professionals engaged with the community. With a wide variety of Host Sites and internship positions, MEDP promotes the “Grow Our Own” approach to workforce development in McMinnville by working with talented individuals and demonstrating the local career opportunities available.

Interns are given the tools needed to gain hands-on experiences in professional settings through project-based internships and weekly Professional Development Workshops. The program was made with the intent to connect multiple companies in the surrounding area, teach interns important development skills, and promote the next generation of leaders.

This year, 13 young professionals from local colleges will be interning at multiple host sites with positions ranging from event planning to finance, engineering, and more until the program’s end date on August 10th. The 2019 Host Sites include the City of McMinnville, Fackler Construction, HBF International, Innova, McMinnville Economic Development Partnership, McMinnville Water & Light, Predicta, Sea Reach Ltd, Solid Form Fabrication, SwedeMom Center of Giving, and the Yamhill County Fair.

Separate from the McMinnville WORKS Internship Program, the Career Bound program is geared towards placing graduating high school seniors, most of which who do not plan to attend college, within full-time paid local summer employment that could lead directly into careers.

With an early start, MEDP’s own interns, Shelby Behr and Anna Johnson will be joining the MEDP team this summer as the McMinnville WORKS Internship Coordinator and the Career Bound Program Coordinator respectively.

Shelby commented on the opportunity stating “I am excited to work closely with other students that share similar interests and goals. I am also excited to gain experience in program management which will help me be more knowledgeable in my future field of work.” Anna similarly expressed a passion for the program saying, “Being an intern through McMinnville WORKS is a wonderful chance to function in a real-world setting allowing me to apply my ideas to accomplish tangible projects. Plus, in my specific job position, I get to lead and support a great bunch of my younger peers, watching us all grow in the process.”

As an advocate for bettering the community and promoting leadership, Shelby is studying Business Management and Spanish at Linfield College. During her time in the position of McMinnville WORKS Internship Coordinator, Shelby will be communicating with 13 interns and 12 Host Sites. As a member of the McMinnville WORKS team, she will be working on numerous projects throughout her time with MEDP. This includes managing Professional Development Workshops every Wednesday for the WORKS interns.

Already an actor, travel enthusiast, and writer, Anna is ready to fulfill her latest title as Career Bound Program Coordinator for MEDP. Anna will be a Sophomore this fall as she pursues a degree in Planning, Public Policy, and Management through the University of Oregon Clark Honors College. Anna’s role at MEDP is to develop and run the pilot year of a spin-off employment program called Career Bound.

To mark the beginning of the Career Bound program, Anna is organizing a Pre-Employment Training Conference on June 19th and 20th designed specifically for the hired participants in the Career Bound program. Focused on encouraging good workplaces habits, the conference will feature seven local business professionals as guest lecturers representing major companies such as OnlineNW, The McMinnville Downtown Association, McMinnville Water & Light, Visit McMinnville, Solid Form, and Fackler Construction. Some topics to be covered include, “Hiring on Character Traits”, “Growth Mentality”, and “Self-Presentation and Representation”. Students will also volunteer with YCAP’s Harvest2Home program for a duration of the conference. Although additional hires are still being finalized, there are 8 participating host businesses with five positions filled to date.

After many years of investing in the younger generation’s success, MEDP’s McMinnville WORKS Internship Program and new Career Bound Program aim to grow the qualified workforce and workforce pipeline in McMinnville, create community involvement, and help students of all aspirations find the confidence within themselves to take on the world.