Governor Announces Third Frontier Internship Awards
CLEVELAND, OHIO (October 17, 2003) - Governor Bob Taft today presented more than $400,00 in Third Frontier Internship Program grants to provide 117 internships for Cleveland-area college and vocational students in northeast Ohio companies.
"We want our children and grandchildren to be able to stay close to home, because the good jobs are here in Ohio, close to home," Taft said. "The Third Frontier Internship Program is one way to do that while benefiting Ohio businesses. I want to commend The Workforce Institute of Lorain County, the Lake County Economic Development Center and the project partners for taking part in this important and promising initiative."
Taft presented a mock check for $346,800 to The Workforce Institute of Lorain County, which expects to create 100 internships in more than 30 partnering companies. The event was held at one of the partnering companies - Ross Environmental in Elyria - which can now offer internships due to the matching support provided by the Third Frontier Internship grant.
Giving voice to the importance of internship programs, David Gard, an e-business and network communications technology major at Lorain County Community College, spoke about his experiences as an intern at Equity Trust Company, another project partner along with Lorain County Community College and Lorain County Joint Vocational School.
Taft also presented the Lake County Economic Development Center with a mock check for $53,550. The Center is expected to create 17 internships. This event was held at Thermotion in Mentor, a project partner along with Lake Erie College and Lakeland Community College.
The Third Frontier Internship Program aims to develop a pool of talented workers for Ohio businesses; create student work experiences for Ohio residents; enrich the educational experience of college students; and expose educators to the strategies and processes of today's business environment.
The three-year, $15 million initiative, utilizing federal funds from the Governor's Workforce Investment Act, is expected to create approximately 1,300 annual internships for Ohio students and will be administered by the Ohio Department of Development.
The Third Frontier Project is Taft's $1.6 billion job creation program to expand Ohio's high-tech research capabilities and promote start-up companies to create high-paying jobs. It is the state's largest-ever economic development investment and has received bi-partisan support from the Ohio Legislature. The final part of the Third Frontier Project, a $500 million bond program up for voter approval in November, would allow the state to allocate $50 million annually over the next 10 years to attract top research talent to Ohio institutions, help with the development and commercialization of new products and create new, good jobs for Ohioans.
