Massachusetts residents who are unemployed or underemployed and interested in hands-on training and education related to Machining should register for this opportunity! Find more details and registration link below.
Where: Woburn, MA When: Starting May 1st, 8:00AM to 2:00PM
UMass Lowell’s Center for Community Research & Engagement invites you to a two-part meeting on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Coburn 255 on their South Campus.
The two meetings will consist of:
Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.
Candidates seeking opportunities near Boston, MA at Hanscom AFB are encouraged to apply to participate in the May 2023 Hanscom AFB Hiring and Recruitment Event.
Candidates seeking opportunities at all other locations, APPLY HERE
Share your occupational interests, location preferences and upload your resume on the AFLCMC Resume Dropbox below.
Come celebrate Kids in Tech’s students as they showcase the projects that they have been working on in their afterschool tech club program.
Questions? Contact Olu Ibrahim at [email protected]
MAKE AN IMPACT ON LOWELL KIDS – VOLUNTEER FOR LOWELL HIGH’S CAREER SPEAKER WEEK!
Lowell High & Project LEARN are teaming up for Lowell High’s 4th Annual Career Speaker Week to bring local professionals from all industries to share their stories and inspire the next generation of Lowell students.
More details below 👇
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WHEN: Week of March 6th – 10th
WHERE: Lowell High School @ 50 Father Morissette Blvd, Lowell, MA
PARKING: There is street parking available on Kirk St. (one-way street) and Central Street. We are also a short walk from the public parking at the John Street Garage and Leo A. Roy Garage.
VOLUNTEER RESPONSIBILITIES
We’re seeking volunteers to speak with students about their career and educational path. Our goal is to help students gain more knowledge and insight on what their future can look like!
Career speaker time slots are for 50 minute class periods (speaking time is about ~30 to 40 minutes). By completing this form, you are committing to attending at least 1 time slot.
No speaking experience required. Zoom Volunteer Orientation will be provided 1st week of March 2023.QUESTIONS?
Contact Program Director, Mira Bookman ([email protected])
Lowell High School senior Adedayo Sanusi has her sights set on becoming a web developer and is already well on her way. This year, she re-sparked interest in an after-school Girls Who Code club at LHS with support from local nonprofit Project LEARN.
On Nov. 17, Adedayo was among six LHS student leaders passionate about IT and computer science who were invited to network with local industry professionals, and serve as student panelists.
“Flip the Script: An IT Roundtable Discussion,” held at Project LEARN’s Youth Innovation Space, was a collaboration between Project LEARN, Middlesex 3 Coalition, UMass Lowell, Middlesex Community College and MassHire. As an intern for Project LEARN, Adedayo gained firsthand experience in the behind-the-scenes planning of the event.
“Students like Adedayo are so driven to get involved and give back to the community,” said Mira Bookman, Project LEARN’s program director. “For my team and I, ‘Flip the Script’ means uplifting the voices of student leaders, and creating a forum for open dialogue between students, industry professionals, and workforce resources.
The roundtable was moderated by Lowell High School 2022 Distinguished Alum and Project LEARN board member Siddhi Shah Chhoeng, the head of strategy development for MilliporeSigma.
Kenneth Chap, a LHS senior and co-founder of The Programming Initiative (TPI), asked how representation of Lowell students can be increased in hiring.
Michael Bogdan, president of Avail Project Management, said he hires employees based on experience.
“Internships are key to gaining experience early on,” Bogdan advised. “Companies should do more to strengthen the talent pipeline in a way that serves the needs of their company.”
Sanusi asked the group what challenges they face with diverse hiring.
Sam Francois, a senior advanced research engineer for CommScope in Lowell, said he studied at Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he was among the 2% of the student body who was Black. He said he is also “the only person at work who looks like me.”
“The pools that are being recruited from don’t always reflect the community they’re in,” he said.
Francois added that although an employer should do more, to work through existing affinity groups or diverse professional societies in an effort to make people in those groups more aware of career opportunities.
The Director of Internal Communications at NetScout in Westford, Karen McCloskey, said it can be difficult to attract young diverse candidates to work in the suburbs when they would rather be in Boston or Cambridge. However, NetScout is actively working to get young people interested in their company by hosting hack-a-thons in different locations as a “fun way for us to get to know the students and for them to get to know us.”
When TPI co-founder and LHS junior Ibraheem Amin asked what steps high school students should take to break into the IT field, Chhoeng was quick to respond.
“Having IT knowledge is great,” said Chhoeng, “but it is more about having a desire to continue learning, having creative problem-solving skills, and good time management skills.”
Looking to the future, Victoria Prak, a LHS senior who is a member of both TPI and Girls Who Code, asked about the challenges facing the IT sector in the next five years and how we can work together to address these issues.
Tom O’Donnell, director of UMass Lowell’s iHub, said security, privacy and closing the equity gap on issues like broadband access will continue to be big challenges in IT. Today, more and more discoveries in life sciences are being made through the use of IT tools rather than time working in the research lab, which is why it’s critical to build community connections that strengthen IT education.
Lowell High senior Elyjah Delius, vice president of the school’s chapter of the Business Professionals of America, asked the attendees about pitfalls they faced in their journeys, professionally or personally, from which they learned.
“All of these experiences you have are opportunities to practice the skills that will take you far,” said Stephen Oliver, a professor at Salem State University and Project LEARN board member. “Say one thing every day in class and develop the habit of showing up.”
One of Lowell’s strengths is that it is a tight-knit community. “All of the resources are there,” said LZ Nunn, Project LEARN’s executive director. “Our job is to connect students with them.”
The Greater Lowell Workforce Board has been awarded a STEM- Focused Internship grant in the amount of $150,000.
“The purpose of these grants is to provide stipend support to increase high school students’ (9-12th grade) access to highly engaging STEM internships, particularly in schools enrolled in schools with high concentrations of low-income and historically disadvantaged student populations, to explore and prepare for a STEM Career in the Commonwealth.
Through this grant, the Commonwealth hopes to expose students to exciting career opportunities in STEM while also
building the pipeline of talent in potential employees in the Commonwealth.”
The Greater Lowell Workforce Board (MassHire) will administer the funds to businesses that hire an intern to work on STEM projects in 2023 (approximately 100 hours/student).
For more information on eligibility and how to apply for the Internship funds, please contact, Katy Gentile at the Greater Lowell Workforce Board, [email protected].
You might be eligible to receive a Workplace Safety Grant!
Administered by the Office of Safety within the Division of Industrial Accidents (DIA), Massachusetts-based and operating businesses in good standing can submit a Workplace Safety Training Grant application of up to $25k per grant.
Applications are due August 31st, 2022.
MassHire Greater Lowell Workforce Board (MH-GLWFB) will work with your business to place a high school intern.
The MH-GLWFB operates Connecting Activities (CA), a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) initiative that leverages statewide infrastructure to support “college and career readiness” for all students.
A Connecting Activities Employer Service Specialist works with area employers to develop relationships and facilitate part-time, after-school and weekend jobs as well as summer job opportunities for youth ages 16-21.
Connecting Activities staff are onsite regularly at the following partner schools: Lowell, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut and Tewksbury High; Greater Lowell Technical High School.
Connecting Activities also partners with: Tyngsborough High, Westford High, and Middlesex Academy Charter School on special projects.
Connecting Activities staff also support a wide range of activities beyond work experiences, including job fairs, job shadow days, career days, employer guest speaker series, workshops and other career development activities.
Employers that are interested in participating in these activities or would like to discuss hosting a youth intern, should contact the Kathleen Gentile, kathleen.gentile@
Additional Ways to Get Involved:
