The Maine Career Exploration Program was excited to interview Peter Parizo and get his insights into apprenticeship and internship programs as ways to grow your business,
Describe your job with Sargent and how it relates to workforce development.
As a member of the Workforce Development team, I focus on recruiting, developing, and retaining our family of employee-owners. Being with Sargent for over 22 years – the vast majority of those years in field-based positions – I am able to help build holistic career development programs that focus on the whole person and are rooted in Sargent culture to ensure the success of individuals as well as our organization.
What is something you love about your job?
Helping young people discover the strengths they have within them to have a successful life and career. Some young folks have not been allowed the space to fail or been encouraged to be uncomfortable. Through a lengthy and comprehensive onboarding process our young people gain confidence and are encouraged to push themselves outside of their comfort zone in an effort to promote growth and resiliency.
Why do you think Sargent’s internships/apprenticeships work?
Our internship (paired with college/university) and apprenticeship (full-time paid training) programs are 100% field focused and rely on Sargent’s culture of mentorship to help train and develop those new to the industry starting as early as immediate high school graduates right after graduation. Additionally, since these programs have been in place for almost 10 years, new interns and apprentices learn alongside employee-owners that have experienced similar development pathways - it makes their career goals feel attainable and provides them with a road map to success.
Do you have any advice for other businesses who want to create a successful work experience/internship for a youth?
Training & development does not need to be expensive or complicated! The secret to a successful career development program is: just get started, stay true to your organization’s values, and look for like-minded individuals that would be a great fit.
What are things employers can do to make the work experience positive for both them and the student/young person?
Meet them where they are – both physically and emotionally. Training & development cannot be successful if it is not entirely “people first” focused. Ignoring gaps in life skills, financial wellness, communication, and other areas that tend to get bypassed in favor of more hard skills training will lead to “hollow spots” down the road and ultimately an incomplete career development process.
Are there things employers often don’t think about or overlook that are important when offering a student an internship/work experience?
Create programs that are as authentic as possible and stay true to the values of the organization. Creating programs that focus solely on recruitment by offering a polished and disingenuous experience will lead to retention challenges and ultimately weaken the organization. In construction specifically the work is extremely challenging and rewarding but if we only allow an intern or apprentice to be exposed to the flowery things it doesn’t allow them to grow and build some resiliency towards the more challenging aspects of the work. Ultimately this sets the individual and our organization up for issues down the line.
