SRG Global Inc., Winning Futures announce Shannon Bellew as winner of “The Intern Connection” Internship Competition
For Immediate Release
WARREN, Mich., April 29, 2011 – Education will play a vital role in maintaining this country’s technological and innovative leadership. Recognizing the importance of education, SRG Global Inc., one of the world’s leading providers of advanced, high value coatings on plastics for the automotive, commercial trucking and household appliance industries, and Winning Futures, an award winning student mentoring organization, created “The Intern Connection,” a program that connects students and the business community to introduce those students to business operations in a real-world setting. Through “The Intern Connection,” the organizations hope to inspire program participants to pursue higher education that will provide the foundation for the next generation of business leaders.
It is in that spirit that SRG Global and Winning Futures are proud to have named Shannon Bellew as the winner of its groundbreaking non-profit / business collaboration for the education of young people. Bellew, who receives a paid summer internship with SRG Global, was named the winner during a ceremony today at SRG Global headquarters. The announcement was made by Andy Killebrew, vice president of Human Resources for SRG Global and Kristina Marshall, president and CEO of Winning Futures. Bellew is a senior at Warren Mott High School.
“Education, particularly in math and the sciences, is the focus of our community outreach efforts,” said Killebrew. “The Intern Connection represents the type of program that will provide practical education to encourage the pursuit of careers in industries that require a strong aptitude in these disciplines, while exposing students to the day-to-day challenges faced by all businesses today.”
“I’m honestly very grateful for the opportunity that SRG Global, Miss (Linda) Kay (of Warren-Mott H.S.), and Winning Futures have provided,” said Bellew. “SRG Global was very professional throughout the entire program, they really reached out to help the students learn as much as possible. I’m very excited to be working at a company like SRG Global that will give me experience toward a future career.”
The Intern Connection Program Details
The Intern Connection connects the classroom and the workplace through a hands-on, innovative learning experience to promote real world learning opportunities to high school students. The program consisted of series of seminars presented once a month over a period of seven months. Both SRG Global and Winning Futures presented on topics specific to each organization’s expertise – corporate and industrial topics by SRG Global, and associated life skills topics by Winning Futures. Topics included:
• Engineering and Program Management (SRG Global)
• Engineering Your Career Path (Winning Futures)
• Purchasing and Finance (SRG Global)
• Financing Your Future (Winning Futures)
• Manufacturing (SRG Global)
• Manufacturing Your Work Place Attitude (Winning Futures)
Other seminars covered information technology, human resources, interviewing techniques and self-marketing. At the conclusion of the seminars in March, students were invited to participate in the internship competition. The competition consisted of the creation of a one-page competition essay detailing the student’s interest the internship and why they would be a good intern for SRG Global. Essays were then judged, and if they achieved a 75 – 85 percent scoring ratio, the student prepared a professional resume and moved on to the interview phase. Two SRG Global representatives and one Winning Futures representative conducted interviews.
Bellew will participate in a six-week paid summer internship program, which will consist of a variety of assignments that rotate on a weekly basis. At the conclusion of the internship, Bellew will be required to write a one-page exit paper regarding the internship experience, and participate in an exit interview with SRG Global Human Resources personnel.
“We are thrilled with the outcome of the program,” added Marshall. “We are very excited for Shannon, and while there can be only one internship recipient, all the participants are walking away with a true appreciation of the complexities of operating a global business. It is our hope that this experience will result in a desire to enter this truly exciting world.”
Students from Warren Mott High School’s business class were the first participants in the program.
“The experience SRG Global provided to my class was invaluable. We need more companies like SRG to help our students develop the skills they need to become confident, successful employees,” said Linda Kay, Business Teacher, Externship Co-Op Coordinator, Warren Mott High School.
About Winning Futures
Winning Futures is an award winning nonprofit organization that makes a difference in the lives of young people by offering school-based mentoring programs and workshops for middle school and high school students in Southeast Michigan. Its programs focus on the life skills of character value identification, goal setting, career preparation, and strategic planning. Founded in 1994 by entrepreneur Sam Cupp, Winning Futures now partners with organizations throughout the country to implement our life skills workbooks and activities. For more information, visit www.winningfutures.org or call 586-294-8449.
About SRG Global
SRG Global Inc., a Guardian company, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of chrome plated plastic parts for the automotive, non-automotive transportation, renewable energy, consumer goods, and commercial building products industries, with a manufacturing presence in major world markets including North America, Western and Central Europe and China. The company is headquartered near Detroit in Warren, Michigan. Through its Advanced Development Center in Taylor, Michigan, SRG Global works to enhance manufacturing processes and accelerates development and delivery of the next generation of materials and coating technologies. The result is the creation of products that provide not only the decorative attributes eagerly sought by designers, but that are also engineered for greater surface durability, structural integrity and enhanced functionality. For more information, visit www.srgglobal.com.
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