Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) Education Collaborative gets students out of classrooms and into real-world environments for summer internships at member companies such as Jabian Consulting.
Atlanta, Georgia – July, 2010 – Justian Meyer, a rising senior at Northview High School in Atlanta, can’t quite relate to the concept of “lazy days of summer.” Having recently won the 2010 TAG EC Web Challenge grand prize scholarshipalong with his Northview teammates, Meyer decided to spend five weeks of his summer vacation getting a taste of technology in the real world with an internship at Jabian Consulting.
The paid internship is part of the TAG Education Collaborative’s High School Senior Summer Internship Program. Students selected for the program get to work closely with professionals in a field relating to their area of interest. The program provides an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the practical application of their academic skills outside the classroom.
“I am looking at computer and electrical engineering as a possible major in college,” Meyer says. “I’m hoping that an internship will give me a first-hand view of what I might be doing in the years to come. I’d learn what is expected of me, what type of environment I’d be placed in, and what kind of jobs I’d be working on.”
The nonprofit TAG Education Collaborative acts as a catalyst for helping Georgia’s K-12 education system evolve into leaders and innovators in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Jabian became involved with the program early on as a supporter.
“Being involved with the TAG Education Collaborative is a way we can give back to the state of Georgia,” says Chris Reinking, co-founding partner of Jabian and member of the TAG Education Collaborative Board of Directors. “But it serves businesses like ours, too, because the program helps equip young people with theskills necessary to compete in the global 21st century – skills we also look for when hiring.”
Meyer agrees it’s a win-win situation: “The way I see it, the internship helps me in three ways. I gain experience working in or observing a field that I hold a great interest in; I have another experience to add to my college applications; and I earn money that will undoubtedly be put towards college fees.”