The City of West Palm Beach summer interns attend a money management workshop.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST PALM BEACH INSIDER NEWSLETTER

Staff Report

Courtesy of West Palm Beach Insider Newsletter

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The City of West Palm Beach is teaching 17 high school students, ages 16-18, how to become future leaders and public servants through the city’s premier summer internship program – the only known program of its kind facilitated by a municipal government in the area.

The students – who are West Palm Beach residents attending Palm Beach Central or Forest Hill High Schools – are interns in the Engineering, Economic Development, Community Events, Public Works and Sustainability Departments of the city, West Palm Beach. They are paid to learn while working from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

The students – who are West Palm Beach residents attending Palm Beach Central or Forest Hill High Schools – are interns in the Engineering, Economic Development, Community Events, Public Works and Sustainability Departments of the city, West Palm Beach. They are paid to learn while working from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

“At the City of West Palm Beach, we are committed to attracting, developing and keeping good talent in our city,” said West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio. “We are really pleased to be able to provide these teaching opportunities to the students, and they are doing a great, great job. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them back at City Hall someday!”

The program runs for eight weeks and is being facilitated by Kevin Jones, Coordinator of Community Initiatives in the Mayor’s Office. In addition to getting real, hands-on experience and training, the students also attend Friday workshops on financial literacy, resume writing and job readiness to better prepare them for the future.

“The Summer Internship Program is valuable to our city because it teaches young men and women who live in our community about the world of work,” said Jones. “They have chosen to be productive this summer, and – in addition to learning new skills – they are also learning about responsibility, which is so important.”

This is the second year the city has implemented the Summer Internship Program. During the summer of 2016, five students took part in the program. A total of 36 applied for summer internships in 2017.

For more information about the City of West Palm Beach Summer Internship Program, contact Kevin Jones at 561-822-1413.