Small and medium-sized companies in Athens have a continual need for young talent. To address this demand, the Athens Talent Partnership is launching a Startup Internship Program, poised to begin in January 2017. This unique program is designed to connect participating startups and small business to a distinct pool of talented young Athenians looking for career opportunities.

In partnership with local economic development nonprofit Four Athens, an initial cohort of student interns drawn from area universities will be guided through a 12-week work program that includes placement with local companies, unique access to area business leaders for learning and mentorship, and connections with a wide array of companies that they might not otherwise know exist.

Four Athens is accepting early stage companies seeking to recruit and retain top talent in Athens to join the first group of businesses to be part of SIP in January. The inaugural group of companies will also include founding members of the Athens Talent Partnership, Docebo NA, Partner Software, Peachtree Medical Billing, Rehabmart.com, and RoundSphere.

“Startups in Athens have an amazing available talent pool just steps away from their doors in many cases. Yet for both our local students and companies, lacking a direct connection between them makes that distance seem difficult to bridge” explains Four Athens Executive Director Jim Flannery. “We’re looking for companies in town willing to help create the local workforce they want to see in Athens.”

SIP will uniquely prepare students for career opportunities through a cohort internship experience that includes professional development support from area entrepreneurs and business leaders. Students and company representatives will convene weekly for a series of skill sharing workshops structured around topics especially focused on small business needs, such as customer discovery, marketing, technology, agile design, and team leadership, as well as a speaker series to share a broader vision and context for SIP participants as a whole. By the end of the 12-week program, the aim is to have increased the capacity of startups and small businesses in the area to successfully integrate student interns into their companies, and to have prepared participating students to pursue careers in the unique and thriving local startup and small business scene.

Athens-based small and medium sized companies with a need for new talent and a desire to build a strong local talent pool should apply to participate in the first SIP cohort launching in January at https://www.fourathens.com/sip.