Mississippi-based telecommunications company C Spire is looking to provide local high school juniors and seniors with real-world employment experience through its new externship program.
C Spire’s Liftoff program is available to both public and private school pupils in the Jackson metro area with a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.
According to the company, students will be exposed to essential skills for college and career paths while networking with industry professionals who can offer useful insight and guidance. Three tracks focused on math, science, and arts are available to students as they consider career paths:
- Technical – Cybersecurity, Networking, Information Technology, and Software Development
- Business – Accounting, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain
- Creative – Digital Marketing, Public Relations, Social Media Marketing, and Sports Marketing
“We feel that exposure is the best thing we can do for our community and for our kids who are joining the workforce soon,” C Spire Early Career Talent Manager Katherine Dehmer said on Good Things with Rebecca Turner. “We want to give the students opportunities to know what they can do, and not feel limited, but also know that they can do it in their backyard. They don’t have to leave the state or go somewhere else to do really cool, exciting tech things.”
At the end of the externship, a select number of students will be awarded one-time scholarship payments from the C Spire Foundation in recognition of their outstanding performance and potential. The scholarships will be accepted at in-state colleges and universities.
The deadline for students to apply to be part of the inaugural C Spire Liftoff program is Aug. 31. Prospective participants in the program are required to submit a letter of recommendation and a 500 to 750-word essay on career goals. The C Spire recruiting team will complete the application review process by Sept. 15. A maximum of 10 students will be hosted at C Spire headquarters in Ridgeland this fall for the program. Applications can be found here.
