“This was a great opportunity to build on my knowledge of an office environment”, advised San Diego Job Corps student Jorge Gomez. Gomez, age 20, recently completed Job Corps’ Office Administration Career Technical Training program and a month long Work-Based Learning (internship) at the Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce’s office.  His work answering phones, greeting visitors, and helping with the chamber’s website proved to be a rewarding experience for him.  “I very much enjoyed the experience, and Cindy was an excellent role model for me.”

“Jorge is a polite, courteous young man who worked in a very professional manner,” advised Cindy Fulks, Executive Assistant for the Chamber.  “He was a great help greeting people, answering phones, filing, inputting data into the Chamber’s website, and helping with the website’s connection with Facebook.  He was a pleasure to work with.”

“We’re continually looking for Work-Based Learning opportunities for our students,” advised Frank Buttino, Business Community Liaison for the San Diego Job Corps Center, and a member of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.  “These internships afford our students the opportunity to gain work experience while still enrolled at Job Corps.  They benefit from the experience and we hope their internships will lead to full-time employment with the company or organization.”

Imperial Beach Chamber of Commerce President Olivia Pickering praised Jorge for his work at the Chamber.  “We currently have another Job Corps student working in the office, and it certainly enables us to provide better service to Chamber members and the community,” she stated.  “Job Corps staff and students have assisted us with several Chamber events during the past few years and we certainly appreciate their involvement with us and the community.  I encourage everyone to give these young people a chance to work and display the excellent skills they are acquiring at Job Corps.”