Since 2016, our Strive San Jose program has created a talent pipeline by connecting businesses and high school districts to prepare students for success when they are ready to enter the Silicon Valley Workforce.
trive San Jose is our workforce education initiative. We believe that the future of San Jose is dependent on an educated and highly-skilled workforce. We believe in investing in our local, underserved youth to access good-paying jobs. Get involved with Strive San Jose to both build your future workforce and to give back to the community.
With 1,200 business members in our reach, we partnered with the City of San Jose and the East Side Union High School District to provide high school students with work based learning opportunities for college and career readiness with our members to help shape the next generation of leaders in Silicon Valley.
Providing these students with work-based learning opportunities like company tours, mock interviews, resume development, job shadowing and summer internships are a win for businesses and the students.
It's a win for high school students because it gives them a chance to develop their professional and personal skills or even discover their dream job.
It's a win for businesses because it provides them with workers that have the necessary skills for a specific type of job and creates a sustainable talent pipeline for them to hire from.
Do you remember having no idea what you wanted to do as a career when you started college? Most students don't have a clue. That's why we want to start the career conversation at an even younger age, at the 8th grade level.
It's important that we encourage our at-risk youth to continue their education and go to college. These students will have a better chance at graduating college if they can start out with a solid foundation, like knowing what career they want to pursue before choosing a college.
These students can gain the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in their career through hands on experience, and by talking to people that work in the industry today.
Now that these students have the knowledge and experience that they need to start looking for jobs, it's important we teach them professionalism by helping them perfect their LinkedIn profiles and polish their resumes before they start applying.
For the past 5 years we have helped pipeline 525 local San Jose high schools students into paid summer internship opportunities with nearly 300 local Silicon Valley employers. Thank you to our program sponsors like the companies below and partners like the Mayor of San Jose and the East Side Union High School District. Click here for more information.
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What is the commitment?
What we need from you to participate?
“ Working with our selected interns year after year through the San Jose Works Summer Internship Program continues to be a major highlight for BPR Hotels. As a growing hospitality development organization, one of our core values is to commit to the growth of our associates as well as the communities that we serve. Each year our interns not only grow within the hospitality industry, but they also help our entire organization stay up to date with trends and challenge us to think outside of the box.”
"Here, things are always happening, changing, and improving. I’m walking away with so much more than what I came with, and I know I’ll be back in the engineering field in the future. I’m proud to have contributed to the team in small ways here and there, thanks to the people who took the time to teach me what I wanted to learn.”
“Strive San Jose is a great example of a program that integrates local youth into the professional world in ways that benefit both students and companies. Being a part of that program is a great way to achieve our workforce development goals. Other businesses should consider getting involved because this program is creating a reliable pipeline of workforce-ready talent. It's an important investment in any company’s future, and a great way to give back to the communities businesses depend on.”
“This internship allowed me to experience what I hope to do in the future: program. It allowed me to learn what most tech companies use as an industry standard: Linux, and they taught me how to use it. Overall, the experience was great!”
"I greatly expanded my knowledge of accounting at ESUHSD as a general accounting intern. I primarily used Excel and focused on data entry. In addition, I reviewed time cards and prepared them for payroll while also helping to organize accounts payable. This job really helped to enhance my resume not only with skills but with references. Networking helped me to build a relationship with the Senior Accountant who is now someone I can connect with for future professional growth and also as a professional reference."
“I found it really helpful in terms of getting an idea what a work day would feel like. I met and communicated with a lot of people working there and I learned how the place worked. Overall I learned how I could prepare myself to work in the future. “
Your donation will be made to our SVO foundation, our philanthropic arm of our organization which supports our leadership and youth programs.
All donations to the SVO Foundation, a 501(c)3 are Tax Deductible.
The tax ID number is: EIN 77-0351510.
If recruitment and retention is something your organization struggles with, you are looking in the right place for a solution.
Together we can make sure your employment needs are met by setting these students up for success before they enter the workforce. Whether you want to host an intern, help with mock interviews, let a high school student shadow you we have a menu of options for your company to invest in workforce development.
