The Tomball Economic Development Corporation is set to roll out a new program designed to give young people a foot in the door of the working world this summer. The Tomball City Council gave the green light for the initiative earlier this month, where Tomball businesses will get a financial nudge to take on summer interns. Those businesses could be eligible for a grant fund of up to $4,000 dangled by the TEDC to hire interns for a stint of seven weeks, according to the minutes from the council's meeting detailed by Community Impact.
The program targets young adults aged between 16-20 years old, involved in high school or college within the city limits or the Tomball ISD jurisdiction. In what's touted as a move to secure local talent for the future, Tiffani Wooten, assistant director of the TEDC, highlighted the initiative's potential to bridge the gap between Tomball's businesses and the young workforce. According to The Houston Chronicle, Wooten stated, "This project aims to provide meaningful paid summer employment opportunities in a variety of industries."
Applications for the summer program are slated to open on March 18 and shutters will roll down on April 19, with companies interviewing candidates from April 29 to May 24. There are strings attached, though, as interns are limited to 20 hours of work each week, presumably to avoid clashing with summer classes or tests. Each spot in the program is worth $15 an hour and, although the starting dates may vary, every internship will wrap up by Aug. 15.
"What a great program," Council member John Ford chimed in during the meeting, according to Community Impact, stressing the intrinsic value of the interview process as a foundational working-world skill. Wooten echoed the end goal of the initiative, "The point of this program is to prepare our youth and get them ready for employment." Students embarking on these internships can also expect some prep work with Tomball ISD’s Career and Technical Education program, which will arm them with resume writing skills, job preparedness, and knowledge of professional dress codes, as reported by The Houston Chronicle.
The number of businesses applying for the grant is capped at 10, with each able to take on two interns max. The program's total budget stands at $40,000, meaning not everyone who applies will get the grant. However, with the community's buzzing interest, it's clear that Tomball's businesses are willing to invest time and resources in nurturing potential local talent.
