Youth Venture

Aspire is in the initial phase and still making progress from an idea to a well developed business plan which will be executed in the upcoming months.

Internship is a proven method for students to gain experience, be challenged, network, and get their foot in the door of a company. This experience is invaluable to students’ education and career. Employers expect high quality candidates when applying for a job or internship in junior year of college because of this opportunity. With such demand for internships, one would think to seek an internship early on in their college career. However this is false for many students due to the lack of exposure. Based on personal experience, conversations with transfer students from two-year colleges, and secondary research, I realized there is a great need for more internship opportunities.
As you may know there were 6.2 million students enrolled at two-year colleges as of 2006. Nearly 70% of students enrolled with intentions of getting a Bachelor’s degree or higher (National Center of Education Statistics). When students transfer to a four-year college and or step out into the workforce, they may have greater difficulty securing a job or internship due to competiveness compared to their peers who have been exposed to internship opportunities. Although majority of two-year college students have a have job, their jobs may not necessarily be inline with their career of interest. With that said, these students may seem less competitive to employers because of their lack of experience in their field of interest.
Although these students may lack experience, they are fully capable of sustaining an internship. This has been proven through the development of internship programs at many two-year colleges. However the issue remains—there are not enough internship and it’s not emphasized as much as it should be. An internship freshman or sophomore year opens doors for junior year, and possibly employment upon graduation. With increase in enrollment of 10% between 2006 and 2007 and expected increase for 2009/2010 academic year, this issue becomes a higher priority for two-year colleges (Inside Higher Education).
The idea is simple; to create a website that enables employers to post internship or job applications online, allowing students from affiliated colleges to apply—Aspire. Right of the bat you may think of Experience (erecruiting), CollegeHelpers, CareerBuilder, or any other online recruiting sites. What’s different is the target market. Aspire will be created specifically for students attending a college with less developed online recruiting system. To begin, two-year colleges will be the primary target.
These students need more exposure and this is a great chance to do that. Aspire will be free affiliated colleges and students. By implementing Aspire, colleges will gain access to network of employers and strengthen any existing internship program. A way to implement is by using the site as a resource to existing internship programs and courses. The difference between Aspire and other recruiting websites is that Aspire will be created specifically for college students seeking an internship that is in line with their career of interest. In contrast CareerBuilder, Monster, and other similar online recruiting sites, do not filter their posting well enough. Also those sites are filled with pop-up and advertisement. With Aspire, a student seeking an internship in accounting or general business will be able to find the internship at the click of a button, and be more equipped in terms of competitiveness—adding overall attractive to the college and student.
Internships are invaluable to a student’s education. Aspire will be created a vision to create and foster regenerating opportunities for all individuals seeking to advance and improve their wellbeing. To begin, Aspire will expose students to internships and other opportunities including professional development. Although Aspire will be in the launch phase, overtime, its network of employers will increase and contribute to the overall improvement of higher education.
As stated in the description, Aspire is in the process of being formed. At the moment we are accepting membership and look forward to working with motivated individuals who enjoy challenges and being involved in entrepreneurship.
If you have any questions, comments, or interested in becoming a founding member, please contact Levy Monteiro at levy.egm@gmail.com.