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PITTSBURGH, PA – Larson Design Group (LDG), an award-winning, employee-owned national architecture, engineering, and consulting firm, is thrilled to announce the rollout of a new companywide Apprenticeship Program.
This program allows LDG to partner with high school, technical school, and community college students to provide the opportunity to work with and for our firm. It provides community outreach, expands diversity, and allows for the building of a pipeline of potential future employees with coveted technical skills.
In close collaboration with a high school and/or school district, students can register a portion of their normal classwork in a semester in an internship with LDG. The student reports to LDG to job shadow and work during their normal assigned school hours, rather than their classroom. For technical school and community college students, it functions similarly to LDG’s internship program, wherein an hourly rate is paid, and full-time employment is available if the experience was successful for both parties.
LEARN MORE: Explore career opportunities with LDG
In addition, the Apprenticeship Program – which was first raised as a possibility during meetings of LDG’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) committee – can help LDG bring in and lift up students from diverse backgrounds, who attend two-year and technical schools at higher rates.
“This program not only helps us build a pipeline of future employees with valuable technical skills – it enhances our community outreach and diversity,” said Zahra Kassam, of LDG’s Human Resource team, who was instrumental in establishing the program and moving it toward implementation.
The program is already returning positive results. A soft launch in the spring and summer of 2024 saw several high school students successfully complete the five-week apprenticeship, with one sharing that the LDG employees they worked with every day “made me feel comfortable in the job and encouraged my plans and goals.” More apprenticeships are already underway for fall and winter semesters.
“The goal in launching this program is to be able to offer an opportunity to a wider range of students to experience the fields of architecture and engineering, as well as occupations that have supportive roles in the industry,” said LDG Chief Human Resources Officer Terry Krezmer. “Real life experience can have a major impact on the direction a student takes in pursuing their dreams.”
ABOUT LDG
Founded in 1986, LDG is an award-winning, employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm offering full-service capabilities and a national reach. For more than 30 years, we have been providing an extraordinary breadth and depth of value-driven solutions to our diverse client base and investing in the sustainable business practices and innovative technologies that allow us to pursue our shared vision: creatively shaping our world. For more information, visit About – Larson Design Group.