BUSINESS COMMENT
12 • AUGUST 2022
COAST RIVER BUSINESS JOURNAL
Clatsop WORKS Program results for summer 2022
of the local workforce.
• Showcase to students the living-wage career
opportunities available in Clatsop County.
• Help students narrow down career choices
before choosing expensive paths to college and trade
school degrees.
• Collaborate and further the goals of other like-
minded organizations in the state of Oregon and the
United States.
By Kevin Leahy
Executive Director
Clatsop Economic
Development Resources
The Clatsop WORKS Pro-
gram provides local students, ages
16 and up, with professional, paid internship opportu-
nities in Clatsop County, with the goals of community
building, economic development, promoting local
career opportunities and retaining local talent.
Program core values
• Interns fi rst: Clatsop WORKS internships need
to benefi t the interns and the goals of the program
more than the business. We are not a staffi ng fi rm.
• Business return on investment: creating a bet-
ter-trained applicant pool.
• Effi ciency in spending: maximizing the invest-
Program goals
• Build a stronger, better trained, more employ-
ment-ready local workforce, starting with high school
students and Clatsop Community College students.
• Highlight to businesses the presence and quality
Is your Business Ready to Grow?
ment made by our funding stakeholders to ensure the
best possible return on investment.
• Transparency: Careful tracking of spending and
activities throughout the program.
• Teamwork and collaboration: Connect with
other groups with similar goals.
• Inclusion and accessibility: Ensure that every-
one has an equal opportunity to participate in the
program
The program has achieved the strongest results
since the program began fi ve years ago.
Our cohort for summer 2022 was 31 interns hired
(representing all schools in Clatsop County). Two
interns have already been off ered and accepted full-
time positions with their host employer to begin after
the internship ends, and two additional interns are in
consideration for full-time positions with their host
employers.
Read about our interns individually on our social
media via our #MeetTheInterns campaign!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/clatsop.works
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Clatsopworks
Quotable quotes
The Small Business Management
Program can get you there!
The path to successfully run and grow a
business is filled with a variety of challenges
and the journey can sometimes be
overwhelming. You don’t have to do it alone!
The Clatsop SBDC’s comprehensive
9-month business program is
designed specifically for current
business to take their business
skills to the next level!
Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to join
the 2022-2023 SBM cohort , where you will
lean from and work with expert in business,
finance, management and operations.
Where your business is the textbook!
15 Sessions + 1:1 Coaching = You at the Next Level
Next cohort begins Fall 2022
$699 | Scholarships available!
Call 503-338-2402 or visit OregonSBDC.org/Clatsop
“I received a job off er — they want me to con-
tinue on after my internship is over! Thank you so
much! Clatsop works has helped me so much in fi nd-
ing out what I want to do, and I wouldn’t have gotten
this opportunity without this program!!!”
—Delaney, summer 2022 Clatsop WORKS Intern
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to explore careers
and learn about the work experience. This experience
will help determine what steps I take upon graduat-
ing and give me a template to use for my future career
path.”
—Kaden, summer 2022 Clatsop WORKS Intern
“I thought an internship through Clatsop WORKS
would be a great opportunity to do meaningful work
this summer in an area of interest. It’s been great —
I’ve learned so much!”
—Seth, summer 2022 Clatsop WORKS Intern
“Clatsop WORKS off ered many internship pos-
sibilities in my area of interest. What excites me is
the opportunity to gain some work experience for my
future career.”
—Zander, summer 2022 Clatsop WORKS Intern
For 2022, we had 27 host employers registered,
with 62 positions, and we had 85 student applicants.
Final results for summer cohort: 20 host employ-
ers, 31 interns hired. The 31 interns represent all fi ve
Clatsop County high schools, plus Clatsop Commu-
nity College.
Astoria HS = 14
Warrenton HS = 5
Knappa HS = 2
Seaside HS =4
Jewell HS = 1
Clatsop CC = 5
Thank you to our Host Employers for summer
2022:
Astoria Public Library -City of Astoria
Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce
Bree & Associates Realty
Cannon Beach PD
Clatsop County
Coastal Restoration
Columbia Memorial Hospital
Fast Lube & Oil
Fort George Brewery
Hampton Lumber
Haystack Rock Awareness
Helligso Construction Co.
Lower Columbia Preservation Society
Lums Auto
PNW Automotive
Providence Seaside
Safe Harbor Animal Hospital
Seaside School District
Sunset Empire Park & Rec District
Stahancyk, Kent & Hook Law
Professional Development was a key part of the
program and held on Wednesday mornings through-
out the summer, and was a requirement of the
employer and employees.
We chose Career Exploration because:
Exposure to diverse careers and industries adds
value to students’ educational experience as it allows
them to better understand the scope of opportunities
available to them.
Students involved in career exploration learn what
the workforce looks like and with a better under-
standing of what is to come, they are more likely to
be motivated when confronted with big life decisions.
Career exploration enables students to gain valu-
able insight into potential careers, what skills are nec-
essary and what routes they can take to reach their
goals.
Student Interns experience interactive presen-
tations, tours, and behind-the-scenes looks at vari-
ous career areas including: Marine Biology, Natural
Conservation, Culinary, Hospitality, Marketing, Craft
Brewing, Maritime, Marine Piloting, Wildlife Rescue,
Firefi ghting, Welding, Automotive, Historic Preserva-
tion (In addition, the coordinator completes an on-site
check-in with each student intern and their supervisor)
Clatsop WORKS Coordinator Misty Bateman
and I thank all the employers who stepped up this
year, several who have been with the program since
the beginning and new participants who came on this
year. The feedback from the employers has also been
very positive, and we look forward to building this
program stronger each year!
For more details on the program, to be an
employer for this coming year, if you have a student
who may be interested, or if there is anything we can
assist with, please contact Misty at mbateman@clat-
sopcc.edu or call her at 503-338-2507.
Kevin Leahy is the executive director of Clatsop
Economic Development Resources and the Clatsop
Community College Small Business Development
Center. Reach him at kleahy@clatsopcc.edu or call
503-338-2402.