Internship Spotlight: Economic Development
Whether at the federal, state, or local levels, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellowship encourages undergraduates to consider a career in government. The program connected three University of Virginia students with internship opportunities at the Fluvanna County Economic Development Office and the Culpeper County Department of Economic Development, Ava Purcell, Dana Korotovskikh, and Austin Katstra, all under the leadership of Bryan Rothamel.
As someone who had his fair share of experiences with underwhelming internships in college, Rothamel wanted better for his students. In fact, he made it a point to not repeat the same mistake, by assigning meaningful work to interns that will elicit a meaningful response.
“We could not do what we do without interns,” Rothamel said. “They’re viable members of our group. My interns helped me get ahead — it frees me up to work on projects I couldn’t do. Interns have brought work product that is not only acceptable but exceptional.”
All three joined the office in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, so a majority of their work was done remotely; despite the physical barrier, the students were still able to put out good work.
“Even though it wasn’t in person, I felt it was just as impactful,” Korotovskikh said. “It’s nice to work with someone who didn’t just see you as an intern. Bryan truly had my best interest at heart.”
Korotovskikh, a statistics major with a concentration in economics metrics, interned with Rothamel in Fluvanna in the summer of her second year in 2021.
“I hadn’t had any experience working in a local government office, so it was nice to be a part of [Fluvanna County Economic Development], especially something that impacts a county,” Korotovskikh said.
Korotovskikh had the pleasure of creating a sweet promotional video for a Fluvanna County local treasure, PaPa Jim’s Soft Serve Treats, which has more than 1,000 views on Instagram.
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Purcell, a youth and social innovations major, interned with Rothamel in Culpeper in the summer of her third year in 2022. She focused on creating marketing materials for the Culpeper Farm Tour and helped with researching how to redefine the technology zone incentives program.
“This [internship] exposed me to opportunities that I definitely wouldn’t have looked at without this internship,” Purcell said.
When it comes to the end of their internships, it’s always a sad day for Rothamel because he said he truly does enjoy working with his students.
“They could definitely all have a future in economic development — the goal of the program is that they get experience in local government and they got that,” Rothamel said.
Rothamel, now with the Culpeper County Department of Economic Development, can be contacted for an internship at brothamel@culpepercounty.gov.
For more information on Central Virginia internships, check out the Region 9 Internship Collaborative.
Governor Northam Unveils Tuition-Free Community College Program for Low- and Middle-Income Students
“Governor Ralph Northam today announced his proposed budget will include $145 million over the biennium to make tuition-free community college available to low- and middle-income students who pursue jobs in high-demand fields. The Governor’s “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” initiative, or “G3” program, will provide financial support to cover tuition, fees, and books for eligible students at the Commonwealth’s two-year public institutions.”
Click here to see the full Press Release.
VCW-Piedmont is hiring a Workforce Transition Coordinator
Virginia Career Works – Piedmont Region seeks a Workforce Transition Coordinator for Project Reconnect, a state-funded grant position that will address a significant gap in the regional workforce ecosystem recently disrupted by COVID-19. Project Reconnect will connect dislocated workers not served by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) with regional employers, retraining programs, or credentialing programs for in-demand careers. For more details and information about how to apply, please click here.
Job Corps is recruiting in our area!
Job Corps
Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16 to 24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. The Job Corps program is authorized by Title I-C of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (supersedes WIA 1998). For more information about the Job Corps program at a national level, please visit our Official Public Web Site.
OUR CENTER’S MISSION
At Blue Ridge Job Corps Center in Marion, VA and Flatwoods Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center in Coeburn, VA, we support the Job Corps program’s mission to teach eligible young people the skills they need to become employable and independent and place them in meaningful careers or further education. Job Corps is a tuition-free training and education program that connects eligible young men and women with the skills and educational opportunities they need to establish real careers. APPLY TODAY!
YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH JOB CORPS has 4 STEPS TO SUCCESS | 1-Outreach and Admissions, 2-Career Preparation Period, 3-Career Development Period, and 4-Career Transition Period