VALDOSTA, Ga. (AP) - Valdosta City Manager Larry Hanson never dreamed he would work as city manager when he was younger.
Hanson was explaining the benefits of Great Promise Partnership to a new group of student interns with the City of Valdosta in an orientation ceremony Wednesday morning.
The students will be given jobs, training and experience, the city gets qualified employees and Hanson said he hopes the experience will convince students to remain in Valdosta and contribute to the local economy.
He and other city officials wanted to point out opportunities for employment with the city. Hanson said he worked his way up to his current position.
“I’ve now held that position (city manager) for 22 years,” he said. “Don’t ever minimize an opportunity.”
Board of Education member Vanassa Flucas said she got her start with a city government internship similar to GPP in another city.
GPP is a program that helps high schoolers who are at risk of not graduating by giving them local part-time jobs. The City of Valdosta employs 20 of the participating GPP students in the Valdosta-Lowndes County area and was the first municipality in Georgia to participate in the statewide initiative.
Last year’s student interns received a GPP scarf-like stole, a graduate certificate from the GPP program and a gift from the city.
“We’ve increased our commitment this year,” said Sementha Mathews, city public information officer.
Last year, the City of Valdosta awarded 17 internships through GPP.
This year, the City of Valdosta awarded 20 student internships which now includes internships with the Valdosta Fire Department, Mathews said. The city provides internships in public works, engineering, human resources, customer service and finance, neighborhood development, police department, fire department, meter reading and finance and public work administration.
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Information from: The Valdosta Daily Times, https://valdostadailytimes.com/
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