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Show SPEID aims to assist the single parents said. Interns work with a firm for three to six months and hopefully will gain exposure to main tasks and aspects of the organization, Ms. Sheehan says. "We want to develop the whole person, their confidence , self-esteem' ' as well as work-related skills. While "on the job," an intern can gain valuable work experience as well as a new network of professional profes-sional friends, supporters who can "help him find a job which leads to economic independence," she said. The firm providing the internship intern-ship is not obligated to hire the intern. Firms can choose an intern from a pool of qualified applicants to assure maximum compatibility and the needs of both the firm and intern in-tern can be met. Interns will receive some financial finan-cial support during their participation, participa-tion, but that will depend on their situation. Utah is one of only six states participating in the program that has also gained support of U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch. "This pilot project is based on a previous (smaller) pilot undertaken in Utah in 1985. "Expanded implementation of the public or private partnership concept is necessary to determine its real potential. We know the idea works, but with SPEID we will have proof that it will not only work in Utah, but can be a successful success-ful prototype across the country with benefits to millions." A consortium of representatives from business and industry, labor, elected officials and private industry indus-try councils will oversee the program. prog-ram. After the two-year pilot it's hoped the program can be expanded ex-panded to nationwide development. develop-ment. Further information is available by calling 451-7862 in Davis County. FARMINGTON Partnership between private industry and the public sector will be the key to removing re-moving many Utahns off the welfare wel-fare rolls into productive jobs. The Single Parent Economic Independence In-dependence Demonstration Project Pro-ject (SPEID), aims to assist the ' '96 percent of all welfare recipients who are single parents struggling to support a family," said Susan Sheehan, project director. "We're putting all groups together to assist in conquering existing ex-isting barriers, we're reaching out to the private sector," she emphasized. empha-sized. The pilot project is being coordinated by the Davis County Employment and Training Office but also includes participation by the Bear River Association of Governments Gov-ernments in Logan area; Salt Lake County Division of Job Training and Development for that county and a five-county effort based in St. George for Southern Utah. "We're asking businesses to get involved directly by committing someone in management as a mentor" men-tor" with direct interaction with program participants, Ms. Sheehan explained. "If these people peo-ple (participants) can observe successful suc-cessful examples, see them in action" ac-tion" they can work to acquire additional skills. "If we really want to address poverty we have to go beyond a bandaid approach" of training those now on welfare for minimum wage, dead-end jobs, she continued. con-tinued. "We want to give participants partici-pants a bigger vision of the future. ' ' Businesses don't have to pay any sort of salary to participants who act somewhat as interns for three to six months. The usual heavy paperwork is virtually eliminated, eli-minated, as well, Ms. Sheehan continued. con-tinued. "Those involved could be a single sing-le parent with a family or a displaced dis-placed homemaker," someone who has lost a spouse or had some other reason for suddenly needing to find employment and gain skills. But to be considered for this program, "people have to show that they want to be independent, must have a GED or high school diploma and pre-employment training," Ms. Sheehan stresses. ' 'These people must have an incentive incen-tive and some prior training" in job-placement-related skills, she said. U.S. West (Mountain Bell) and Utah Issues served as smaller pilot projects with great success, she said. W. Mack Lawrence, Utah vice-president and chief executive officer for Utah U.S. West, said he throws "full support" behind the intern program. "Any time we can help anyone to become self-sufficient, self-sufficient, we are on the way to building a better tomorrow," he |