Co-op intern earns cash and credit through COE program
As a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, one of the many ways Capital |
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A sophomore at Century High School, Quincy works as an intern for Capital Electric. She is the daughter of Mike and Colleen Lervik, Bismarck. After school and work, Quincy says she enjoys shopping and playing soccer. |
Electric shows accountability and commitment to community is by supporting local youth. We award an annual scholarship to a qualifying dependent of a member. We finance an all-expense-paid trip for a teen to attend the Rural Electric Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. And now, we employ a sophomore from Century High School who will learn one thing the school cannot teach: real life experience.
Quincy Lervik joined the co-op in early December as an intern. She files papers, sorts mail, makes business packets and helps different departments as needed. She currently takes a Microsoft Word class in school, which made her eligible for the position.
Business students like Quincy are encouraged to get a job through the Cooperative Office Education (COE) high school program, which matches students’ abilities to companies’ needs. Diane Schlosser, computer and business instructor, oversees the COE program at Century High School. She says about 25 local employers are giving high school students special hands-on training.
“COE has proven to be a phenomenal learning experience,” she says. “I feel students gain so much by being around adults. They become more responsible and mature. They gain self confidence and a greater understanding of the connection between what they learn in school and what happens in the work place.”
When Paul Fitterer, business manager at Capital Electric, wanted to support the COE program and hire a student, Schlosser recommended Quincy.
“I’d worked with the cooperative before and understood their business needs,” she says. “Quincy is an independent student who works ahead in class. I felt both parties would benefit from the partnership.”
Quincy interviewed with Fitterer, who explained what a cooperative is, who it serves and how it works. They discussed the internship position and the duties Quincy would be expected to perform.
A former part-time employee of the Dairy Queen, Quincy had been through the interview process before and says she felt comfortable visiting with Fitterer. Like all new co-op employees, she was required to take a drug test. Once she passed, Paul offered her the job.
So far, Quincy says the school-to-work transition has been easy. “Everyone is really nice and I like working in my own cubicle.”
Quincy recommends the COE program to other high school students, and says she appreciates the opportunity to get paid and earn credit in school, all while raising her grade point average.
With the explosive business growth in the Bismarck-Mandan area over the last several years, Schlosser says there are many businesses looking to employ students—and not enough students taking advantage of the COE program.
“Any student who takes a business class is eligible to work through the program,” she says. “Employers really provide an opportunity that the school cannot give.”
For more information on the COE program, Schlosser recommends contacting the business department at any area high school.