City of Columbia partners with Richland school district to give new opportunities to students

Richland School District Two hopes to have students career ready after graduation

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — While many high school students go off to college after graduation, many are also looking for a career right out of school.

Richland School District Two hopes to have students career ready after graduation.

“One of my first opportunities was working with the City of Columbia. I started out working with the parks and recreation division. I spent my summers in Drew Park working as a camp counselor,” said Dr. Baron Davis, Richland School District 2 superintendent. 

Just like Superintendent Davis, Richland School District Two students can also work for the City of Columbia. This is thanks to a new internship program for high school students aged 16 and older called Premier2Career.

“The first strategy in recruitment is retention,” Davis said. “I think the city saw a need to retain the top talent in the city. Where should you start? The high schools are an obvious place for talented individuals.”

High school students will get paid and will be able to work in one of the city’s various departments. 

“Students have to have the opportunities to be exposed to see where they can find their gift and talent,” said Sharon Nelson, City of Columbia talent recruiter. “If you don’t have the opportunity then how do you know what you’re good at?”

If a student finds an area that they are good at, it can be the first step of their career. 

“If I’ve been working in PR since 16, I’m going to be a pretty good employee or owner of a PR firm,” Davis said. “I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience by starting at the age of 16.”

The City of Columbia hopes that some of the interning students decide to eventually work there full-time.

“That is the goal, to create a pipeline and some loyalty and trust. They can say ‘I interned with the City of Columbia  when I was in high school,’ Nelson said. “Even if they go off to college. they have a home back here with the City of Columbia. They can go ahead and put that on their resume when they start shopping for their career home.”

In the meantime, Superintendent Davis says the partnership between the city and the school district is a win-win for all involved. 

“Giving them an opportunity to contribute to the workforce while being compensated and learning I think gives  them a sense of agency and ownership when it comes to making this a great city,” the superintendent said.

The district’s high schools will offer applications for students who will then be screened for the jobs they are applying for.