This year, US itek, a company right here in Western New York, will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. As the company celebrates this incredible milestone, they’re reflecting on their success, innovation, and growth and the Ken-Ton School District is proud to be a part of that!
Since May 2012, several of our Ken-Ton students have interned with US itek through the district’s Career Academies program. It helps our students get out into the real-world and experience different career paths available to them during and after high school.
“The Academy programs offered at Kenmore East and Kenmore West provide students with the necessary knowledge necessary to be able to intern at an outstanding company like US itek,” said Nancy Pray, Ken-Ton Academies Coordinator. “The Academies have state-of-the-art technology equipment which the students learn on, and it emulates real world experience which they can apply in their internship opportunities.”
For over 20 years, US itek has been offering internships to students in the areas of business, computer network infrastructure, customer service, cybersecurity, compliance, accounting, sales, and marketing. They are assigned projects related to their field of study and are also assigned a mentor who helps guide them, support them, and give them valuable feedback. Each year they take on one to three interns from the Ken-Ton School District, like current Kenmore West student Ahmed Almashiakhy.
“The internship provides students with valuable real-world experience and gives them exposure to the industry they are interested in,” said Erica Falci, US itek Customer Success Liaison. “We offer a diverse range of roles. This allows students to explore various angles within the tech world and decide which path they want to pursue.”
Sometimes, that leads to a student getting a permanent position after graduation. That’s the case for several Kenmore East and Kenmore West graduates who have earned part-time positions while they attend college, and sometimes, full-time positions after earning their college degrees.
“The internship program pays back by helping build a pipeline of applicants as we grow and create new positions,” said Falci. “When students transition into full-time roles at our firm after completing an internship, we have a thorough understanding of their traits, and they are already familiar with our organizational culture. This arrangement benefits both parties.”
“David Stinner has been an incredible supporter of our Internship Program and Academies. He is always willing to take our interns and provide our Computer Networking and Information Technology Academy students with Internships to mentor their growth and provide real world experience in those fields,” said Nancy Pray, Ken-Ton Academies Coordinator. “We have forged a very strong relationship and partnership with US itek. We sincerely thank David for his dedication to the Ken-Ton school district and wish US itek a Happy 25th Anniversary.”
For more information on the Ken-Ton Career Academies and the many internship relationships they have, click here.
