Missouri Innovation Campus Program Students Prepare to Begin Three-Year, Paid Internships at Top Businesses

Missouri Innovation Campus program high school juniors recently learned their placements for three-year, paid internships beginning in June. Students in the morning session are in the top photo with students in the afternoon session in the lower photo.

Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) program 2022 cohort students were recently paired with industry-leading companies through the nationally recognized initiative’s unique internship program. The high-school juniors will participate in valuable three-year, paid internships with their assigned businesses.

Companies recently matched with interns, along with the students’ MIC degree program, include SS&C (Software Development), Olsson Engineering (Design and Drafting), eHawk (Software Development), Black & Veatch (Design and Drafting), McKesson (Software Development and Cybersecurity), UMB (Big Data and Software Development, Lead Bank (Big Data), Community America (Big Data), Tyler Technologies (Software Development), Burns & McDonnell (Design and Drafting) and Cyderes (Cybersecurity).

The MIC program, which began in 2012, is a partnership involving the University of Central Missouri, Metropolitan Community College, the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District and metro-area businesses. Students enrolled in the MIC program have the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree in a high-demand field just two years after high-school graduation – with little or no student debt. A vital component of the successful program is its three-year paid internships, beginning just after each student’s junior year in high school. The interns are able to apply what they are learning in the classroom while working as a valued team member at the companies.

MIC program participants begin this accelerated bachelor’s degree program at the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District’s Summit Technology Academy where they are enrolled in one of these capstone courses – Big Data and Business Analytics, Cybersecurity, Digital Electronics/Engineering Technology/Design and Drafting, Software Development/Computer Science, Software Engineering and Computer Information Systems.

Preparing for the three-year internships starts several months before the students are placed with each company. Beginning in fall 2022, students participate in resume writing and interviewing skills workshops, mock interviews and a job readiness/soft skills workshop. In addition, the students’ families participate in a parent informational meeting about the internships.

MIC program students begin their internships in June with each business creating relevant, real-life job experiences over the three-year placement. Among the program’s graduates, 91 percent traditionally accept a position with the company where they interned with close to 99 percent accepting a job with a MIC program partner.

For more information about the Missouri Innovation Campus program, visit this webpage.