Students gain work experience
Program offers technical training to underprivileged
July 6, 2004
By DANNY PEREZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
An information technology organization is working to help low-income high school students compete in today's job market.
Houston-based Genesys ITS Inc. will begin its summer computer program for select students from six Houston high schools - Southwest, a Texas charter school, Reagan, Milby, Austin, Chavez and Eastwood Academy, a Houston Independent School District charter school.
"Our mission is to enable underprivileged high school students to join the economic mainstream by providing them practical training, professional work experience and industry certifications in information technology," said Rafael Alvarez, founder and president of Genesys. "We allow students to experience the professional or 'corporate' world firsthand, learn from real-world situations, realize the benefits of higher education and gain confidence in their ability to be successful in that environment."
The class of 39 students will spend their days at the Genesys training facility on the 37th floor of the KBR Tower downtown and at some of Houston's largest companies such as Shell Oil and Reliant Resources.
"We have proven that when trusted with the opportunity to work as professionals, and armed with the right knowledge and support, underprivileged high school students excel beyond their own expectations. Knowing that they can succeed in the corporate world results in a drastic redefinition of their long-term goals," Alvarez said.
Students are placed in groups that are tailored to their level of experience. Alvarez said newer students begin on the basics of electronics, PC repair and installation, and other skills; more advanced students work on obtaining professional industry certifications in the technology field.
"Our students get the opportunity to perform in professional environments at levels that they have not yet experienced," Alvarez said. "Without a program like Genesys, it is unlikely that they could have the opportunity to work in corporate environments at this early age."
The nonprofit organization began in 2002 with a grant from Houston Social Venture Partners, which believed the Genesys model could be successful. After the initial launch, Genesys raised more than $500,000.
Nonprofit gains corporate support Alvarez said the organization received widespread support in Houston and garnered sponsorships and funding from JP Morgan Chase, Nextel, the Houston Endowment and the University of Houston.
Genesys students also will be treated to engagements aimed at cultivating their personal and business skills. They will hear presentations from top officials from JP Morgan Chase, Continental Airlines and Exxon Mobil, and tour the data centers and communications infrastructures of Reliant Resources and Hewlett-Packard.
After the class graduates in August, the students will continue their training and their year-round corporate jobs while attending high school through a partnership between the schools and Genesys.
"With this experience and knowledge, students set much higher goals for themselves, perceive the value in higher education, and with their new job skills and certifications, are able to afford it," Alvarez said.
Students serve as inspiration to others Alvarez said the push for higher learning will not stop with the Genesys students, many of who are first-generation college-bound students.
"Our students serve as catalysts to their siblings and to their peers in their schools, showing them that a professional career path is achievable," he said.
Genesys wants to expand its progressive philosophy by becoming a self-sustaining entity and by opening new branches in other communities in the state. Alvarez said the organization hopes to be self-supporting by next year.
danny.perez@chron.com
Story at http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/thisweek/zone08/news/2665744
