LANL News:A Los Alamos National Laboratory Community Connections podcast episode that features Cindy Rooney, interim executive director of UNM-LA, and Carter Payne, assistant principal of Los Alamos High School, has just been released by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Community Programs Office.
The internship program—titled the Community Internship Collaboration—is built on a recent partnership between UNM-LA, Los Alamos High School and LANL Community Programs Office. It differs from other workforce development initiatives in that it provides both high school and college students with real-world work experience in local small businesses. Each student is matched with a project from a business, which will serve as a mentor to the students during the paid one-credit internship.
“The entire Los Alamos region will benefit from a program that helps prepare the workforce for the future,” Rooney said.
“The Community Internship Collaboration is a perfect investment for Los Alamos National Security, the company that manages the Laboratory,” stated Carole Rutten, deputy director of LANL Community Programs Office. “It is equal parts education and economic development—two of the three pillars of the Community Commitment Plan.”
Future expansion for the Community Internship Collaboration is possible after the successful completion of the pilot program. Foundational principals taken from New Mexico Highlands University’s internship program informed the Los Alamos program and provide a roadmap to grow the program to serve more students and local businesses.
The episode can be accessed here, along with the entire podcast series.