E-Connect

E-Connect is a mentoring program that utilizes email communication and occasional face-to-face meetings to connect high school students with employees of local companies.

Specifically, E-Connect provides mentoring for students and Camps To Careers participants who want to begin networking with business professionals. Through the e-mentoring relationship, students develop a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in their chosen career path. These relationships may lead to internships or on-the-job experiences that increase opportunities for employment.

E-Connect is a major component of High School/High-Tech (HS/HT), a national network of state and locally operated programs designed to provide youth with disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs, or additional education, in a variety of fields, including technology-related industries.

E-Connect works by:

Connecting schools with local employers to form a mentoring partnership, with employees committed to spend a short period of time each week corresponding with students via e-mail
Training mentors and mentees on the expectations and procedures for a successful mentoring experience
Integrating career awareness, exploration and mentoring into class activities through teacher-led guidance and monitoring
Scheduling occasional face-to-face meetings between mentors and students at structured, school-sponsored events
Providing Minnesota HS/HT staff support for the project, and state agency service providers lending their expertise when needed

For more information
Contact Sharon Mule at 612-626-0335 or email ssmule@umn.edu

For more information online, visit E-Connect (http://ici.umn.edu/mnhighschoolhightech/econnect.html).