New Innovative Youth(SM) Intern Program Helps Prepare American Students for the Global Business Stage

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - February 1, 2010) - Access Growth LLC, a Silicon Valley-based global growth consulting and innovation management firm, and Technology Credit Union, among the nation's largest credit unions, have announced the launch of a new project called the Innovative Youth(SM) Intern Program. The program is a unique internship for children ages 7 to 17, designed to give young people exposure to real-life projects and innovations in the international business market while allowing them the opportunity to earn work experience and money for college.

Conceived by Access Growth CEO Mark Godwin, the Innovative Youth(SM) Intern Program helps train and educate youth in the U.S. so that they can better compete on the world stage in terms of leadership in business innovation and technology. It also gives companies a resource for new ideas and critical feedback for their products and services.

"The program is designed to give corporations access to trained, young people who can assist the corporations in improving today's innovations while developing and shaping the innovations of the future," said Godwin.

A recent federal study on student performance in the U.S. has shown that on international tests, students in a number of other countries consistently outperformed their U.S. peers across the board in reading, math, and science*. Both business and education leaders say that if the U.S. is to maintain its competitive advantage in the global market, education reform, along with new educational programs, are needed to better train and prepare students to succeed in college and compete in the workplace.

The cross-discipline Innovative Youth(SM) Intern Program does that by providing training that connects business, science and technology, while giving interns the opportunity to investigate various industries and potential career paths. Internships are available in four key areas: gaming, global communications, global innovations and product design and commercialization. The program is offered after school and during the summer.

"This is unique in the way that it helps teach kids about global business through real-world scenarios," said Sarah Samuel, assistant vice president of business banking for Tech CU. "We're supporting the program by providing interns with a savings account for any funds they earn which will help them with future college expenses as well as teach them about the importance of saving."

Once participants complete the Innovative Youth(SM) Intern Program, they have a chance to work as consultants for various high-tech companies and they could be paid for their work. At this point, they will need to open a Tech CU CUTMA (California Uniform Transfers to Minors Act) account, where the funds will be directly deposited. CUTMA accounts are set up by an adult on behalf of a minor and are a great way to teach children about saving and money management. All funds are held in the CUTMA account until the minor turns 18, at which time the beneficiary takes control of the funds to use for college or any other way they choose.

For more information on the Innovative Youth(SM) Intern Program, go to www.TechCU.com.

ABOUT TECHNOLOGY CREDIT UNION

Technology Credit Union is a full-service financial institution serving individuals who work, live, go to school or regularly worship in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Cruz, San Mateo and San Francisco counties. Tech CU was started in 1960 and is now among the top 1 percent of the nation's largest credit unions. It is recognized as one of the best managed and strongest financial institutions in the country, as indicated by Tech CU's 5-star rating from Bauer Financial, the nation's largest independent rating service for banks and credit unions. With more than 78,000 members, over $1.2 billion in assets and 10 full-service branches around the Bay Area, Tech CU is a leader in the credit union industry. For more information, visit www.TechCU.com.

ABOUT ACCESS GROWTH

Access Growth LLC is a global growth consulting and innovation management firm that was founded in 1989 to help companies successfully grow through a proprietary 360-degree commercialization process. The Access Growth team currently supports 27 countries and provides world-class growth strategies, innovation planning, and commercialization services to early-stage, emerging growth and Fortune 500 companies to quickly penetrate markets and drive top-line growth. To learn more, please visit www.AccessGrowth.com.

*Source: U.S. Performance Across International Assessments of Student Achievement: Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2009

Contact Information: Contact Information: Tawnya Lancaster Public Relations Phone: 408-205-1618 tlancaster@lancaster-group.com Kathleen Litman Technology Credit Union Phone: 408-487-7527 klitman@techcu.com