Genesys Works Expected to Grow 30% in 2013

This year corporate clients took on 153 Young Professionals as a direct result of our workforce readiness training. In five years, we have seen a 1300% growth in the number of students we place into internships. We continue to see a projected growth in the number of student trained in 2013. We expect to place a total of 200 students next year. With the growth in students, we see an opportunity to increase the number of corporate clients to provide internships for our students.

We are excited for the opportunity to impact more students and partner with more corporate clients.

Presenting the First ACHIEVER Awards

This year, we were honored to present our first ACHIEVER Awards to two outstanding community members and one corporate client. ACHIEVER stands for the values we instill and reinforce in our students. We believe a positive Attitude, strong Communication skills, Honesty, willingness to take Initiative, Excellence, having a Vision for the future, Enthusiasm, and Respect help create strong leaders. The Awards recognized the leadership supporters and partners have played in providing real-world educational opportunities for Genesys Works students across the metro area. All the winners have gone above and beyond their call of duty to help Genesys Works succeed. As a way to show our appreciation for their support, we announced the winners and shared their contributions at the 2012 Breaking Through Ceremony. Awards were given out in three categories: School Partner, Corporate Partner, and Individual Contribution.

ACHIEVER Award: School Partner 
Presented to Superintendent Valeria Silva and Saint Paul Public Schools

When Genesys Works started in the summer of 2008, we had just 16 students from three Saint Paul high schools. The support of teachers, guidance counselors, principals, and the Superintendent herself have been instrumental in the growth of the Genesys Works program. Now we serve all Saint Paul public high schools. Success in Saint Paul allowed us to move into the Minneapolis Public Schools and more than a dozen other districts. 

ACHIEVER Award: Corporate Partner
Presented to Medtronic and CIO Michael Hedges 

During its four years of support as a corporate client, Medtronic has offered over 50 internship positions to our Young Professionals. Led by CIO Michael Hedges, who also serves on the Genesys Works Board of Directors, Medtronic continues to be our largest client year after year. This year alone, they employed 20 Genesys Works interns in its IT department. Medtronic has helped expand the scope of the type of work students perform, from PC deployment and help desk support to other roles, such as project management. Medtronic has set the bar high for how student interns can be successfully utilized.

ACHIEVER Award: Individual Contribution
Presented to Nick Hernandez, President and CEO of Aeritae Consulting  

In the Individual Contribution category, we recognized the individual who had the most impact on the Genesys Works program: Nick Hernandez, President and CEO of Aeritae Consulting. Nick’s support of the students and mission of Genesys Works goes well beyond his contributions as a member of our Genesys Works Board of Directors. He has introduced Genesys Works to senior leaders at potential client companies resulting in more than 40 jobs over the past two years. Nick also helped organize a special training day on ServiceNow for Genesys Works Young Professionals. Additionally, he encouraged his employees to help with developmental interviews for our students and with our Suit Up clothing drive.  

AT&T Contributes $1 Million to Genesys Works – Allows for Bay Area Expansion

On October 3, Hydra Mendoza, San Francisco Mayor’s Education Advisor and Board of Education Commissioner, joined by Ken McNeely, President of AT&T-California, and Carmen Chu, Supervisor-District 4, announced the launch of Genesys Works in the Bay Area at City Hall. The leaders were on hand to support Genesys Works, which with a $1 million contribution from AT&T will increase learning opportunities for underrepresented high school seniors. 

AT&T’s commitment to Genesys Works will support a new facility in the Bay Area and connect youth to the region’s booming technology sector, and fund other new initiatives that will help the organization scale its impact across the country.  

AT&T-Minnesota also donated $50,000 to Genesys Works – Twin Cities and sponsored the 2012 Breaking Through Ceremony.

“From a business perspective, there is no greater investment than an investment in our children. Their innovative spirit, drive and forward-thinking hold the key to our future and our country’s ability to compete in the global economy,” said McNeely. “At AT&T, we are thrilled to support Genesys Works, which connects the tech economy with youth who need access to better opportunities to succeed.”

“We are grateful to AT&T for its generous contribution in helping us expand our network to students in the Bay Area,” said Rafael Alvarez, founder and CEO of Genesys Works. “With their support we can change the life trajectory of vulnerable students who live in one of the most advanced regions in the world and help them believe a professional, meaningful career is within reach.”

Genesys Works’ innovative model has received wide recognition across the globe. Earlier this year, Forbes Magazine named Alvarez on the publication’s inaugural “Impact 30” list of the world’s top social entrepreneurs. When President Obama launched the White House Office of Social Innovation, Genesys Works was profiled as an example of social innovation that should be replicated across America. Alvarez has spoken about the Genesys Works model across the U.S. at universities, including Harvard and Rice, and has been the guest of government and educational leaders in Ireland to discuss solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues.

For the full press release please visit our National site. Learn more about the Genesys Works experience through AT&T's video: AT&T Aspire Helps Students Unlock Their Professional Potential Through Genesys Works.

Wallin Education Partners Provide $96,000 for College

This month, six Genesys Works young professionals received news that each will receive $16,000 to use towards their college education. All six were selected based on their academic excellence, motivation, and leadership. As part of the requirements for our College and Career Connections Program, all students have been applying to scholarships; each has a goal of completing 15 scholarship applications before graduating from high school. As a reward, these six students have been named Wallin Scholars. Congratulations to our list of winners:

 

 Armani Black                    Bonsa Tilahun                  Janet Phetsamone

Gina Xiong                                         Jeanetta Langhorne                                           Xai Ly

 Armani Black, intern at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, senior at Johnson High School

Bonsa Tilahun, intern at Medtronic, senior at Columbia Heights High School

Janet Phetsamone, intern at Allina Hospitals and Clinics, senior at Roosevelt High School

Gina Xiong, intern at University of Minnesota, senior at Brooklyn Center High School

Jeanetta Langhorne, intern at Travelers Insurance, senior at Humboldt High School

Xai Ly, intern at Faegre Baker Daniels, senior at Minneapolis North High School

Below, three scholars share their college plans and gratitude for the generosity from the Wallin Education Partners:

Making a Splash at the MHTA Spring Conference

With our student recruiting season successfully coming to a close this week as we chose 226 students (from 647 applicants) for this summer’s training program, we are now turning our attention towards another important element of our program growth – client recruitment.   One event that always provides a great opportunity to mix and mingle with IT leaders from a number of Twin Cities companies is the Minnesota High Tech Association’s annual Spring Conference, which drew more than 600 people to the Minneapolis Convention Center on April 25th for a full day of programming.

Jackie Jacobs at our MHTA exhibit

Genesys Works was an exhibitor for the first time at the MHTA event and our booth was visited by a number of people drawn by the images of our students and the work that we do to develop our state’s future generation of technology leaders.  Jackie Jacobs and Joel Crandall manned the booth while Jeff Tollefson spent his time making and renewing connections with CIOs and other IT leaders in hopes of securing additional internship opportunities for the summer.

“This year’s MHTA conference was extremely valuable for Genesys Works,” reported Jeff at the conclusion of the day.  “The level of awareness about our program in the IT community continues to grow and Genesys Works was mentioned in a number of break-out sessions as a great example of a program working to address the IT skills gap and workforce needs of our state by exposing youth to technology careers at an early age.  The exposure we received and connections made are of great value as we look to expand our client base in the months ahead.”

As special note of thanks goes out to two of our Twin Cities board members, Mike Hedges, CIO of Medtronic, and Nick Hernandez, CEO of Aeritae Consulting, for being such great ambassadors for the students of Genesys Works at the MHTA conference.  Your efforts on behalf of our program are truly appreciated.

And last but far from least, we wish to especially thank Margaret Anderson Kelliher and her staff at the Minnesota High Tech Association for their tremendous support of the Genesys Works program over the past year.  Margaret not only serves as President and CEO of the MHTA, but is a valued member of the Genesys Works board of directors as well.  Under Margaret’s leadership, the MHTA is fueling Minnesota’s prosperity through innovation and technology with a goal of making Minnesota one of the country’s top five technology states by 2020.  Judging by the success of this year’s Spring Conference, we’re well on our way towards that goal.  Congratulations and thanks to Margaret and the MHTA for all you do to make our state a better place to work and live.

Five years, 1800% growth: A look at our next class

In 2008, Genesys Works - Twin Cities opened its doors with 11 Saint Paul high school students in its first class. Now, as we begin to interview the students that will become our landmark fifth class, we plan to select 200 to begin the summer training that will allow them to earn a coveted year-long corporate internship. That represents more than 18x growth over five years, a level we couldn't begin to imagine with that tiny but dedicated first class.

Since five years is an anniversary of sorts (check for more "official" announcements later in the year!), we wanted to take some time to paint a broader picture of this group of applicants. Who exactly are these high school juniors ready to commit 14 months to preparing for and experiencing the corporate workplace? Here are some frequently asked questions about the students that apply to our program.

• How many students apply to Genesys Works?
• This year, 634 of the most motivated young people from around the metro--our largest group yet. 
• Where are they from?
• We still have an extremely strong relationship with our first school partners in Saint Paul, but we have since expanded our partners greatly. This year, 44% of applicants came from Minneapolis and its suburbs. Despite strong representation from west of the Mississippi, Central High had the most applicants from a single school in GW history, with an astonishing 92 applications.
• What attracts students to the program?
• Quite frequently, their peers. 26% of applicants this year said they were referred to Genesys Works by a current participant in the program. It's no surprise. Students in Genesys Works gain a level of confidence and professionalism that's tough to miss in the hallways. For a more personal take, check out our recent story of why one Harding junior decided Genesys Works was right for him.
• What will they be doing, exactly?
• Training for eight intense weeks during the summer on business and technology skills, then working part time for one year in a major corporation. See the full list of our corporate partners here.
• How do you get the word out?
• Partnerships. Genesys Works exists because of its relationships with schools and corporations. When a counselor sees a student transformed over the summer, or when one of our young professionals tells their friends about the great job they have at Travelers, word starts to spread.

Help Us Secure 160 Internships by July

People often ask, “What is your biggest limitation to growth at Genesys Works?”  The answer is easy.  Jobs.  Without meaningful internships, Genesys Works doesn’t work.  The hallways of our urban high schools are filled with highly-motivated, capable students whose lives could be forever changed if provided with one thing.  Opportunity.  A chance to learn, grow, and thrive as a trained young professional working in the corporate world.

So how can you help?  Easy.  Help connect us with companies or organizations that could benefit from the services that our trained students can provide.  And if you work for one of the 37 companies that are currently Genesys Works partners, we urge you to think about new and creative ways that you may utilize the talents of our students to address your business needs.  While the jobs that our young professionals perform have been primarily in the areas of IT desktop support and help desk services, we have lots of students working to support the needs of teams in the areas of project management, business analysis, software testing and web site management.  Wherever a company may have a need for part-time, cost-effective resources that can reliably perform a necessary function or simply free up full-time staff for higher-value tasks, we have a solution.  Genesys Works.

To learn more about our award-winning youth development/workforce readiness program, we invite you to visit our web site and begin exploring the many ways you might be able to help us reach our goal of securing 160 professional internships by July 1^st.   Please contact Jeff Tollefson at jtollefson@genesysworks.org or (651) 789-0088 for more information. 

We thank you in advance for your generous assistance as we work together to provide new pathways to prosperity for our city’s youth.

Student Ambassadors Pay It Forward in Recruitment

Genesys Works Young Professionals gain a lot from their participation in the program.  They gain IT and professional skills during summer training, have the opportunity to work in meaningful internships during their senior year, make lifelong friends and map out plans for college and professional careers.  At Genesys Works, they are also given ownership for the development, expansion and growth of the Twin Cities program and each day students pave the way for future Young Professionals by excelling in their internships and changing stereotypes about inner-city youth.



Young Professionals also play a tremendous roll in recruiting new students for the program.  Their knowledge of their classmates, their schools and their first-hand experience in the program leaves them uniquely qualified to seek out new students for the program and encourage them to apply, a role students take very seriously.



Over the years, a pay it forward culture has developed at Genesys Works - Twin Cities as students actively encourage others in their school to join the program.  For Tou Thao, Class 3 Alumni, it was fellow Central High School student Tou Moua from Class 2 who first introduced him to Genesys Works.  Thao saw Moua dressed professionally as he walked to class one day and began asking questions.  Moua knew Thao to be a harding working student, so he eagerly shared about his experience working in the IT department of Capella University, which sparked Thao's decision to join Genesys Works.  The next year Thao shared his experience with, Elvin Gateri, another Central student he knew to be hardworking and tech savy, continuing the tradition.


Class 3 students Tou Thao and Chue Thao present to future Young Professionals for Bring a Friend Night 2011

This pay it forward culture is already evident in Class 4 where Genesys Works Young Professionals are hard at work recruiting juniors in their schools. Lead Student Ambassador Stanley Wu leads the charge at Central High where he has been speaking in homeroom classrooms, creating video announcements and is constantly sharing about his experience in Genesys Works.  His hard work is already paying dividends in the increased number of applications recieved from Central. 

When asked why he was so invested in recruiting students for Genesys Works Stanley said, "Genesys Works can change students' lives. Many people were living in a bad place before they started Genesys Works. They came out like champions and feel like they accomplished something meaningful after the program. Even if some of them were already in a good place, they are now in a better place. All of us Young Professionals gained valuable skills over the summer. Even now, we're gaining skills and experience that most high school students wouldn't normally get. The more students that learn these skills and gain valuable work experience the better."

Current Student Ambassadors like Stanley Wu, center, use their communication skills to encourage classmates to join Genesys Works

Thank you, all Genesys Works Student Ambassadors and Alumni, for your hard work as we recruit Class 5 in the Twin Cities.  With your help, we cannot wait to welcome 200 outstanding students into the program this summer!

Wanting More for Minneapolis

By Joel Crandall, Genesys Works Program Manager

With recruitment season for the next class of Genesys Works Young Professionals in full swing, I am reminded how proud I am to be a Minneapolis resident. Genesys Works has historically done very well in St. Paul because of great partnerships both on a district level and with individual schools. When I joined the Genesys Works staff two years ago, one of my personal goals was to see the opportunity presented to a greater number of students in the Minneapolis Public Schools.

I have lived on the city’s north side for about nine years and have worked with high school students in a number of different capacities (coach, youth pastor, and mentor). I believe in students from MPS, and I care deeply about seeing them connected to opportunities that will change their lives, especially as it pertains to access to college and meaningful careers. Though these are a few of the reasons it matters to me personally, there are bigger implications as well.

Why it matters:

• Minneapolis is the state’s third largest school district

• The district is comprised of 70% students of color and 66% students eligible for receiving free and reduced lunch: key demographic groups we serve.

• Several existing Genesys Works clients are located in or near the district and would like to work more closely with students from Minneapolis.