Westmoreland-Fayette workforce board gets funding for more internships

For Katelyn Slava, a Seton Hill University junior, working as an intern for a Greensburg psychology and counseling service provided her with valuable insight into her future career.

“It was perfect for me. I want to own my own practice. It was amazing for me to see how to operate a private practice, how to deal with insurances,” said Slava, 20, of Erie, who is set to graduate in December and plans to continue school to earn a doctorate in psychology.

Krista Boyer was able to hire Slava through the Westmoreland-Fayette Workforce Investment Board’s internship program as she opened her private practice, Authentic Perspectives Psychological & Consulting Services LLC, in October. The opportunity to hire an intern as she was getting her practice off the ground was made affordable because the program covered the cost of Slava’s wages, Boyer said.

“I value having students. They bring fresh energy and a lot of positivity,” said Boyer, a Seton Hill alum who also teaches psychology classes at Chatham and Carlow universities in Pittsburgh.

More young adults such as Slava will have the opportunity to take advantage of internships because of a $400,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation’s economic mobility initiative to provide paid internships to 18- to 24-year-olds in Westmoreland County over the next two years. The funding should be able to provide internship opportunities to at least 60 students, said Janet Ward, executive director of the Workforce Investment Board.

This internship program can help young adults who may be “struggling to determine the value of a post-secondary education,” Ward said.

Students are paid about $13 an hour during the three-month internship period.

The Worforce Investment Board’s efforts to assist young adults in obtaining internships received a boost in 2018 when the organization landed State/Local Internship Program funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

The state funding from 2018 to 2021 was inconsistent, Ward said, so the board adapted the program to fit the changes in the budget with local needs. Over the years, the program has supported about 110 internships at 106 companies.

Program expansion

The 12-week Workforce Investment Board’s program will be expanded this year to support new high school graduates, specifically those with an interest in the skilled trades or graduates of career and technology centers, Ward said. The program will help students determine whether post-secondary education is the best avenue for them by exhibiting what they can achieve in their careers if they finish their education.

“So many students in the local area graduate high school, wondering what their next step should be,” Ward said.

Boyer saw enough of Slava’s skills and enthusiasm for the practice of psychology that she hired her to work as the firm’s education and outreach coordinator, which includes maintaining the practice’s presence on social media.

“She was soaking up everything. She has a love of learning,” Boyer said.

The internship gave Slava a better insight into what she wants to do with her life. One goal is to help minority groups in her role as a psychologist.

“You have the concepts you learn about in school, and you get to apply that knowledge” in a job, Slava said.