Contact: Rosemary Carole

798-5293

The Oneida County College Student Corps has completed a record summer of dreams with a closing ceremony at the Stanley Performing Arts Center in Utica on Thursday, Aug. 9.

"This was a summer of tremendous opportunity for all of our interns," said Oneida County Executive Ralph J. Eannace, Jr. "Our interns learned that Oneida County employers include technology companies on the leading edge of their fields, human service agencies that are changing lives on a daily basis and schools that are giving students with extra challenges the extra help they need. In short, they learned that Oneida County has a great collection of career opportunities."

This summer, 160 students participated in the program, more than double the 70 who were in the initial class of 1998. More than 70 employers participated and shared the costs of the program with county government – a record high.

The Community Foundation of Oneida and Herkimer Counties, Inc., was also a major partner in the success of this summer, Eannace said, by awarding the program a $30,000 Challenge Grant from the Frank W. Baker Fund to spur private sector support. The grant – which was matched by participating employers – helped provide even more opportunity for young people, Eannace said.

"I’m sure that our employers remember, as I do, that there was a time when too many people in the Mohawk Valley believed that this was not an area of opportunity, and not an area that could pick itself up and move forward. By becoming partners with County Government and the Community Foundation this summer, they have shown that they believe in the future of Oneida County, and in the young people who are this county’s greatest asset," Eannace said.

Speakers at Thursday night’s ceremony stressed the region’s positive changes.

"There is an attitude in Oneida County that is very different from what it used to be," said Robert Wheeler, a visually impaired intern who had an internship this summer at the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. "Things are happening. The area is moving forward. I think it’s great to be a part of that through the College Corps."

Workforce Investment Board Executive Director John Holt, who also leads Oneida County’s "Call Mohawk Valley Home" effort, told the interns that the career opportunities they experienced this summer were just the tip of the region’s assets, and encouraged them to use Web site CallMoahwkValleyHome.com to stay in touch with the region’s development.

"You can exist anywhere, but in this unique blend of technology and tradition we have come to know as the Mohawk Valley, you can do more," Holt said. "You can build and find that special something many of us look for all our lives – a special, caring, beautiful place we call home."

Oneida County Workforce Development Director David Mathis said the program has helped put Oneida County in the forefront of workforce development efforts.

"We are here tonight because Oneida County is one of the leaders in the country in backing up talk about retaining young people with action. In the four years since this program was created by the Oneida County Board of Legislators, we have been the model for other communities who are trying to catch up," Mathis said.

Program Coordinator Rosemary Carole, Economic Liaison for Oneida County Workforce Development, summed up the summer this way: "Oneida County is a region of opportunity and growth. All of you who are a part of this program are our partners in the future. This summer was just the start of the great things that can be in store for you here in Oneida County."

The Oneida County Board of Legislators created the Oneida County College Student Corps in 1998. It matches students with Oneida County employers who can offer internships in the students’ fields of study.

Students are paid $7 an hour and usually work between 25 and 35 hours a week. The summer internships last between 6 and 8 weeks. Students also participate in a labor market overview, social events and receive employment assistance after they graduate from college. The program targets college juniors and seniors.