During the Spring of 2021, Esther Pisano was hard at work, studying Web Development at Clark College and looking to launch her career in the STEM field. After previously earning an Associate of Arts from Clark College she made the decision to return to school to further her career development. During May of 2021, Esther was working out at her local gym and had a happenstance meeting with Julie Gorham, Marketing Architect at Marketing EQ. The two quickly realized their common interest in web development and marketing.
After speaking with Pisano, Gorham realized she would be an exceptional candidate for a web development internship at her company. Gorham extended an offer to Pisano and had her reach out to their local WorkSource center.
Since Gorham and her former business partner had parted ways, Gorham was experiencing a higher demand for work than her business could handle. However, due to the challenges of the pandemic, Gorham was not able to hire an intern without financial assistance. In 2018, WorkSource had paired Marketing EQ with two employees through the On-the-Job Training program. Gorham knew she could turn to WorkSource again for support for her business and to give Pisano an opportunity to gain hands-on training and mentorship in her area of study.
Pisano contacted WorkSource to initiate the set-up of an internship with Marketing EQ. Once in contact, WorkSource researched the grant funding that could be allocated towards Pisano’s internship. After aligning Marketing EQ and Pisano with the proper funding, Gorham and WorkSource put together an Internship Training Plan which detailed how Pisano would be spending the 240-hour internship. The plan describes the hands-on training Pisano would receive in project management, asset management, WordPress management, SEO, social media, web development, and web hosting.
On May 27, 2021, Pisano began her internship at Marketing EQ. She quickly jumped in and began learning the ropes. Since this internship aligns with her educational program, Pisano was able to apply her skillset in the position.
“I see know what my teachers are talking about when they say ‘yeah, all this is going to come together when you start a job’ and I am starting to see that. The different classes that I took are all joining together when I work with Julie … That’s exciting for me to see.” – Esther Pisano
Pisano continued to expand upon her skillset, with the help of Gorham, gaining on-the-job training in all the essential web development functions. Gorham noted that Esther, who is nearing the end of her internship, has the knowledge and drive to be hired full-time by any firm in the area. For Marketing EQ, the funding provided by WorkSource allowed Gorham to sufficiently train an intern, with the hopes of a future hire, which otherwise would have been impossible.
fb.com/WorkSourceSW
