Community College of Aurora partners with IT Company on Student Jobs
Computer science students at the Community College of Aurora (CCA) now have a shot at jumpstarting their careers thanks to a partnership between the school and a Massachusetts-based IT company.
CCA has partnered with PlumChoice, which was experiencing high turnover in publicly advertised postitions, to offer students an opportunity for part-time jobs with the company and the possibility for continued employment and advancement.
As part of the initiative, some PlumChoice positions are advertised only among CCA students. Candidates must pass an interview before receiving paid training. They then take a test, and those who pass receive further training at the company's Bloomfield, CO location. After two months, they are able to work from home. "In some cases," according to a news release, "PlumChoice even suggests from what classes they could most benefit in order to best position themselves for future advancement."
"We listened to the needs of the employer and we responded," said Barbara Lindsay, CCA's director of career services, in a prepared statement. "And I think that's very advantageous in that the right student is being graduated from our programs."
Launched in late March, the initiative has already resulted in "numerous" technical support representative hires, according to information released by the school.
"The win for us is finding somebody that is eager and motivated into getting into the industry and making it a career and not a job," said Brad Borchard, service delivery manager for PlumChoice, in a prepared statement.
"If [the students] went out looking on their own they probably wouldn't be able to get a chance to get in because they don't have any experience," Borchard continued. "So it gives them the opportunity to put it on the resume as they're going through school until the time they get their degree or certification. And it places them in a really good position to move them into the industry a lot easier and at a higher-paying level than peers who didn't do the same thing."
"PlumChoice knows we have a large non-traditional student base as well as a very large international population that may bring a very high level of education that's not necessarily accepted in the American workforce, but they often have years of real-world experience," Young added.
About the Author
Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].