Summer Internship
REACH Summer Internship Program
Real-World Exposure & Advocacy in Construction and Housing
Applications Now Closed
If you're at least *18 years old and graduated from a high school in Breathitt, Knott, Leslie or Perry County, you can:
Gain real-world work experience in the construction trade
Intern for 8 weeks this summer
Earn $10/hour + benefits by interning 40 hours/4-day week
Work with HDA carpenters on new home construction and home repair projects
Build career skills and help local families in need of housing
Earn a solid work reference and more employment opportunities
*Must turn 18 by June 6, 2022.
Funded in part and made possible by the Berea College Appalachian Fund and the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, HDA’s paid summer internship provides yet another investment in our community by connecting young people to the skills, resources, and experience needed to succeed in our local workforce.
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and will graduate in 2022 (or have already graduated in 2020 or 2021) from high schools in Breathitt, Knott, Leslie, or Perry Counties in East Kentucky.
Prior to the pandemic, as many as one-third of rural youths in East Kentucky were considered “disconnected.” Disconnected youth have limited opportunities and are more likely to be poor and disabled and to have interacted with the criminal justice system. They also go on to earn $30,000 less a year than youths of a similar age who are in school or working.
Purpose
The purpose of HDA’s REACH Summer Internship is to provide a unique paid work experience opportunity for youth in our community.
Often, after high school, rural youth in East Kentucky have limited opportunities. Good-paying jobs are scarce, and since the majority of families in our area are low-income, a lot of our youth have trouble affording higher education.
Our internship offers youth in our service area the chance to learn a trade and to develop skills they can use in other professions and in life.
Our Goals
- Provide youth an experience advantage when entering the workforce
- Help youth learn skills and save money as they discover what next step they should take in their lives (enter the workforce or go on to a trade school or college/university)
- Open doors to more opportunities for local youth, especially as they serve their community with HDA by helping provide affordable homes and by providing labor for the local construction industry
- Aid HDA in meeting our yearly production goals for new homes constructed and homes rehabbed/repaired
What's Our Summer Internship Like? Let Our 2021 Interns Tell You!
Questions? Need Assistance? Contact:
Mindy Miller, Director of Development & Communications
Office: 606-436-0497
