2009-10 Workforce & Succession Planning Report

The County, through such efforts as the Succession Planning Implementation and Evaluation Committee, is committed to offering internship opportunities to promote and attract individuals new to the workforce. The County has a variety of internship programs including: Summer Jobs for Youth; Summer Training and Employment Program (STEP) for emancipated foster youth; Regional Internship Program through CalOpps; Peninsula Works; and various department-specific programs.

Through these programs, many interns have an opportunity to: gain job readiness skills; learn about the organization and public service; and gain hands on work experience. During the last summer, there were 50 internships countywide.

S T E P

For a second year, County of San Mateo Human Resources Department and Human Services Agency were granted $70,000 to hire youth emancipated from foster care, ages 18 to 21, for summer internships from June to September, 2010. San Mateo County Workforce Investment Board provided funding. A total of nineteen interns and eighteen coaches participated in the program. Each intern received a minimum of 12 hours of job skills training.

Marcus, 19, a former intern in the County Manager’s Office Energy Upgrade Team and a College of San Mateo student, recently participated in the Summer Training and Employment Program for Emancipated Foster Youth. He plans to attend San Francisco State to obtain a master’s degree in social work. Marcus says that he wants to “provide counseling services to all the youth, who like [him], found it hard to talk to anyone about their hardships while in care.”