For Information Contact:

David Mathis
 798-5908

       
Griffo: Oneida County, Griffiss Institute
 Create IT Internships for Teens

            Oneida County Executive Joseph A. Griffo today announced that Oneida County will provide at least 50 disadvantaged youth with information technology (IT) internships this summer through a partnership with the Griffiss Institute for Information Assurance.

“Students with aptitude and interest in IT careers are one of Oneida County ’s greatest potential resources,” Griffo said. “Our growing IT employer base is also a vital part of our economic growth. Through the Experience IT! Project, students will learn about the world of work, learn about IT jobs through on-the-job experience and understand the kinds of career opportunities that exist if they graduate from high school and college.”

            Griffo said Experience IT! was developed by the Oneida County Office of Workforce Development working with Griffiss Institute. “Partnerships are vital to our economic development and workforce development efforts,” Griffo said. “This project puts a forward-looking spin on our traditional Summer Youth Employment Program by helping students learn skills and learn about career and academic options.”

“The workforce of the future is on line and involved in computers at home and at school,” said Mike Miravalle, President of Dolphin Technology and Chairman of the Board of Griffiss Institute. “These internships are designed to take this tremendous interest in IT and develop it so that the students in our communities understand the kinds of great careers they can have with our local employers and what they need to do educationally to get there. This project is an investment in our regional future, and the development of the IT workforce our nation needs to keep our edge in cyber-security.”

            Under the pilot Experience IT! project, 50 interns will receive 200-hour internships. They will work at various employers affiliated with Griffiss Institute as well as employers with IT departments who are interested in offering interns challenging work experiences for the summer. Students will be paid $5.15 an hour for their 200 hours. The program targets students with an interest in IT who will be entering 10^th, 11^th or 12^th grade in the fall. Students must meet income guidelines to qualify.  Students will be selected based upon expressed interest in IT as well as academic potential. Students with averages of a B or above will be given first consideration for the program. Click here for pre-application form

“Programming such as this targeted at disadvantaged youths is critical to the future of the Mohawk Valley ,” said Oneida County Workforce Development Director David Mathis. “We know from national research that disadvantaged populations are under-represented in these careers. Through this project, we want the Mohawk Valley to become an incubator community for these youth to become energized about the potential of science and technology careers. Students can't choose careers they've never heard of, and the region must create programs that connect students to careers within the context of a rigorous education.”

            Experience IT! builds upon the foundation laid in 2003 by the Griffiss Institute when it worked with Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, R-New Hartford, to hire 23 interns in a pilot CyberKids project.

“Dolphin Technology and the private sector partners who took a lead on this project have set the pace,” Boehlert said. “I commend County Government and the Griffiss Institute for working together to increase opportunities. The strength of the partnerships our region develops will determine how far we can go to build a new economy, create good-paying jobs and attract more people to the region. Our children are the future of our workforce and this program will provide them with the knowledge and skills to be armed for the future.”

The Griffiss Institute for Information Assurance is dedicated to the application of research in technology devoted to ensuring the security of information and information systems, the development of a workforce of information security professionals in the United States, and the creation of an internationally recognized locale for information assurance services and products, works with a wide number of industry and academic partners.

Heather Dussault, executive director of Griffiss Institute, said this project is a major step forward in the Institute’s mission.  “The goal of Griffiss Institute is to become the catalyst that brings together the public and private sectors to develop innovative programs. Long-range workforce development is vital to the IT industry. Through these internships, students can learn about their potential for success, the local academic tracks that can help them succeed and programs that can help students attend college.”