Durham YouthWork Interns Turn Summer Tasks into Future Careers

In a Post-Millennial generation that is often accused of being indecisive about the future, Mya Reid, Victor Chi and Ivy Jones have their futures in razor focus. Mya plans to be a design, systems or propulsion engineer at a defense contractor like Boeing or Lockheed Martin. Victor sees himself in a communications or sales role within the STEM industry, and Ivy envisions herself managing environmental or mechanical engineering projects.

Mya, Victor and Ivy all honed their interest in engineering through internships at McKim & Creed. They arrived at those internships through the Durham YouthWork Internship Program (DYIP).

DYIP is a partnership of the City of Durham (N.C.), Durham Public Schools, Durham Workforce Development, Durham Technical Community College and other organizations. Each summer, the program places approximately 200 Durham youth, ages 14-24, in paid internships with local businesses, non-profits and city and county governments. “The Durham YouthWork Internship Program prepares our youth for careers of tomorrow,” says James Dickens, senior employment program coordinator with the City of Durham. McKim & Creed became involved with DYIP in 2016, and has hired a DYIP intern every summer since. “Organizations like Durham YouthWork give us an opportunity to embody our vision of ‘people helping people’ and to support causes that are near and dear to the hearts and minds of our clients. That’s a win-win for everyone!” comments Phyllis Elikai, chief people offi cer with McKim & Creed.

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