Charleston County RoadWise News Release

MEDIA CONTACT

Name:   Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer

Phone: 843.958.4012

Email:   jdavis@charlestoncounty.org

Release Number: 2903

Release Date: July 22, 2008

Student Interns Work on Road Projects Funded by the Transportation Half-Cent Sales Tax

            Seven interns now employed by Charleston County RoadWise Program.

Seven students have begun working under the Charleston County RoadWise Internship Program to gain experience working on road projects funded by the Transportation Half-Cent Sales Tax.

The internship program is designed to provide summer job opportunities for students so they can explore a variety of occupations used during road projects. Students who meet the eligibility criteria have demonstrated an interest in pursuing careers in transportation-related jobs.

“Internships are embraced by local government as a way to promote diversity and provide exposure to occupational areas, which may or may not lead to long-term employment, but will expand career awareness and opportunities,” said Charleston County Office of Organizational Development Director Evelyn DeLaine-Hart, who oversees the RoadWise Internship Program.

The students will be working throughout the remainder of the summer with different engineering firms that are contracted to work on Transportation Sales Tax road projects.

One student will be returning to high school after the summer internship, while three will be going to college for their first year and three will be returning college students.

All of the students went through an orientation on July 9 to learn what they will be doing and to understand the expectations of the program before beginning work with their respective firm. The students will earn an hourly salary ranging from $10 to $12 an hour, and will work 30 hours per week.

According to DeLaine-Hart, there was a competitive selection process to choose the students. Female, minority, unemployed and underemployed students were identified for internship opportunities, and Charleston County staff made the final selections.

The job opportunities were determined by firms working on RoadWise projects and are for a pre-determined period of time. The pay rate is based on the skills and technical capabilities required by the job.

“The firms offering the internship positions had to designate a point of contact who will be responsible for ensuring compliance with all County Government procedures,” DeLaine-Hart said. “The point of contact will interact with County staff for the purpose of program implementation, coordination and reporting.”

Recruitment and eligibility requirements:

• Recruitment and selection of interns are the responsibility of the contractor.

• The Office of Organizational Development also conducts annual recruitment to aid in this process.

• Students must be of high school or college age or attendance, have a GPA of 2.5 or better and majoring in or pursing a career in a transportation occupation. Exceptions to the GPA requirement are made on a case-by-case basis by the design or engineering firm.

The 2008 RoadWise student internship assignments are as follows:

• Ian Cundiff, a student at the University of South Carolina majoring in engineering, is working with TranSystems.

• Brandy Green, a student at Clemson University, is working with Atlantic South Consulting Services.

• Risean Green, a student at the Academic Magnet High School is working with The LPA Group.

• Trevor Mitchell, a student at South Carolina State University interested in pre-engineering, is working with Wilbur Smith Associates.

• Shekinah Robinson, a student at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is working with Florence & Hutchinson.

• Talon Wagenknecht, a student at Trident Technical College majoring in engineering, is working with Davis & Floyd.

• Sherena Williams, a student at Charleston Southern University interested in environmental planning, is working with GWS, Inc.

Charleston County RoadWise is the name of the Charleston County Government’s management program for the construction of roads, highways, resurfacing, paving and drainage projects that are funded by the Transportation Half-Cent Sales Tax.

Visit the official Charleston County Transportation Half-Cent Sales Tax Web site www.ccroadwise.com for more information on these projects, public meeting notices and up-to-date news and information.