Licking Heights Local Schools Launch High School Tech Internship Program to Bridge Gap Between Education and Industry

Licking Heights Local Schools has been awarded an investment from the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, allowing them to provide high school students with real-life experience and on-the-job technology training. The High School Tech Internship program is designed to reimburse employers in Ohio who host high school interns in technology-focused positions. This program aims to give businesses the tech talent they need while also providing valuable work experience for students at a young age.

The selected interns will work alongside Licking Heights’ district technology team, a five-person internal office that manages the cybersecurity and technology operations of all schools and buildings from PreK to 12th grade. Interns will be treated as entry-level tech employees and will have the opportunity to learn in-demand skills such as data, cloud and IT infrastructure, cybersecurity, broadband/5G, and advanced mobility.

The inaugural class of Licking Heights technology interns includes Alex Bastola, Brooks Girum, Albert Holland, Zoe Kubinsky, Himanshu Mandal, Alina Mangeni, Brent Mathias, Emily McCord, Lily Wahl, and Lucas Wells. Some students are hoping that this internship will open up opportunities for them in fields like cybersecurity or chip research and manufacturing. For example, Emily McCord plans to attend Ohio State University for computer science and engineering to become a cloud security analyst and will be assisting the district during her internship in transitioning to a cloud database. Meanwhile, Himanshu Mandal is interested in working with central Ohio companies like Intel after college. His dream job is as an engineer at Intel where he hopes to use his knowledge gained from the High School Tech Internship program.

The High School Tech Internship program is an excellent opportunity for students to gain practical skills and experience in the technology field. It sets them up for future success in their careers by providing real-world experience that can be applied directly to their desired career paths