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
New Innovative Youth(SM) Intern Program Helps Prepare American Students for the Global Business Stage
Access Growth LLC and Tech CU Partner to Help Kids Acquire Real-World Business Experience
| Source: Technology Credit Union
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