The City of Minneapolis’ STEP-UP Program, operated by AchieveMpls, recruits, trains and places youth, ages 14–21, in paid summer jobs with local employers. Last summer, 174 employers hired 1,282 Minneapolis youth to work at hospitals, law firms, corporate offices, non-profit organizations and many more places of business.
STEP-UP interns are competitively selected and complete a comprehensive work readiness training program certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce before beginning work.
Hiring a STEP-UP summer intern is a great way for your business to take an active role in training and preparing the future workforce of Minneapolis. Participation in STEP-UP is mutually beneficial to your company and to the youth who participate.
“I feel as if we learned as much from our intern as he did from us. It was refreshing to have someone come in that was young and full of energy. I felt that he really did grow and mature during his time here and that was a wonderful experience to watch.”
– 2009 STEP-UP Employer
Use the link below to download our 2010 Employer Toolkit providing more information on hiring process, timeline and frequently asked questions.
To pledge a job or for more information on how your business can get involved in STEP-UP, please contact Anne Krocak at 612.455.1562 or akrocak@achievempls.org.
If you are between the ages of 14–21 and live in Minneapolis, apply to STEP-UP today! Spend a summer in a professional work environment, gaining valuable skills for your future and exploring your career interests. All STEP-UP interns are paid.
“Participating in this program provided great work experience in the field I wanted to go into, looks great on my resume and I earned money to make ends met for myself and my family.”
– 2009 STEP-UP Intern
Important Dates for Parents:
January 29, 2010: STEP-UP Application Deadline
Week of March 8: Students will be notified of acceptance by mail
To check on the status of an application AFTER March 12, please call 612–455–1565.
March 22 – March 25: Work Readiness Training, Week 1
March 29 – April 1: Spring Break
April 5 – April 8: Work Readiness Training, Week 2
April 12 – April 15: Work Readiness Training, Week 3
• Participants will attend training one night per week for three weeks.
• Participants who are 16–21 will also attend one mock interview session.
• Participants will be assigned to either North High School or Washburn High School to complete training.
• Training and mock interviews are mandatory – all participants must attend all assigned days of training to be eligible for a summer job.
April 19 – April 21: Mock Interviews- location TBD
• Participants will find out at training to which mock interview session they have been assigned
May 3 – 28: Participants notified of job placements
June 14: First day of work for interns
• Not all internships start on the same day
• Participants will work with their supervisors to determine a start date
Past STEP-UP interns, we want to hear from you! Send an email to ashapiro@achievempls.org and let us know where you are today.
For more information, please contact Amy Shapiro at ashapiro@achievempls.org or 612–455–1550.
Watch this short video to the STEP-UP Summer Jobs Program to get an introduction to the program and see some STEP-UP interns at work!