By Nichole Dupont
Wednesday May 26, 2010
After the last essays are handed back and graduation ceremonies ring out through the Berkshires, many area teens will begin pounding the pavement. And they are sure not to be disappointed.
The seasonal job and internship market in the area is virtually saturated with resources for high school and college students looking to work and expand their career horizons.
Ronald Gallagher, assistant director of the Office of Career Counseling at Williams College, said there are several steps young people can take in order to secure a job. The very first is to get moving.
“It’s never too late to secure a position,” he said. “But you need to get off the couch and make it happen!”
Gallagher’s suggestion, especially for high school students, is to keep their eyes open for seasonal work.
“Buy a new or used lawnmower. Stand outside your house and do an inventory of all the neighbors that would love to pay someone to keep the grass trim,” he said. “Look again; see whose house could use a little paint touch up.”
In addition to finding work in the neighborhood, teens also can canvas local businesses which are reliant on seasonal help.
“There are many camps (both day and overnight) that may still be putting their summer staff together,” Gallagher said. “If it looks like it will be a hot summer, go where the ice cream will be served. There’s always a need for super scoopers.”
Ice cream vendors aren’t the only venue to find summer work: local golf courses, country clubs, landscaping companies and bike shops are in need of help in order to be able to accommodate the influx of tourists to the Berkshires. Natalie Lewis, AmeriCorps apprenticeship coordinator at the Railroad Street Youth Project in Great Barrington, said that targeting the summer economy will yield the best success.”People are coming back for the summer,” she said. “Any sort of job in the tourist industry is a good one to pursue.”
Lewis also suggests summer internships as very feasible opportunities for young people to broaden their work horizons.
“We have internship volunteers at SoCo creamery, as videographers,” she said. “And the Humane Society always has volunteer opportunities for working and fundraising.”
In fact, internships in the Berkshires come in all shapes and sizes. According to Helena Fruscio, director of berkshirecreative.org, there is a plethora of innovative internships and jobs, especially during the busy summer season.
“We have fabulous listings for Berkshire Creative and they are all listed especially for the creative economy,” she said. “We also have posts that lists every single job posting site in the Berkshires.”
Many of Berkshire Creative’s listings are steeped in the arts and culture of the area. Internships at Barrington Stage Company, the Berkshire Museum, Jacob’s Pillow, Shakespeare & Company and IS183 Art School of the Berkshires are among several programs offering internships to high school and college-age students. In addition to the wide range of opportunities in the county’s cultural sector, Gallagher said that internships, including paid internships, are everywhere, in every sector of the Berkshire job market. The key is networking.
“Staff takes vacations during summer months and as they say the show must go on,” he said. “Network through temp agencies, college career centers, church members, friends of parents and parents of friends. Get experience and build your skills any way that you can. Volunteer if needed. If you are an asset to the organization the money may follow.”
But how does one track down these multiple internship and job opportunities? Heather Shogry, youth director of the Berkshire Regional Employment Board, said that accessing listings is easy, especially given local employers’ willingness to hire and train young people.
“Our nonprofits have been wonderful hosting our youth,” she said. “They’ve done some great six-week training programs for youth. We also have some private sector hosts such as Interprint, Cranwell, Crowne Plaza, a lot of tourist employers and public entities as well.”
The support of local businesses and nonprofits can be seen, according to Shogry, in the sheer numbers of employers willing to hire youth for a season or longer.
“Last summertime we had over 80 companies who were willing to hire on youth,” she said. “I always tell kids, it’s better to secure employment on your own so that there’s the potential for permanent work when and if they need it.”
For more information about employment and internship opportunities in the area visit berkshirecreative.org and click “jobs,” also visit berkshireworks.org and click on “youth services.”
Click here to visit The Advocate online and learn more about what’s happening in the Berkshires.
