Students in the Allegany County Pathways in Technology Early College High (PTECH) Program recently completed their summer internships with various local employers. The PTECH program is a high school and beyond (9-14) model, which combines high school, college and the world of work. The program’s mission is to provide students with a free education that starts in grade nine, continues through high school completion with a high school diploma, and culminates in the attainment of an Associate Degree in Computer Technology at Allegany College of Maryland.

One of the program requirements is to complete a 6-week paid internship. ACPS has partnered with the Western Maryland Consortium to place students in valuable, hands-on, and work-based learning environments at Willett's Tech, Allegany College of Maryland, UPMC Western Maryland, and Allegany County Government. Participating students in this summer's internships included Hailee Clawson, Angela Robinette, Jesse Ketterman, Dakota Ketterman, Josh Dozart, and John McGuire III. 

Hailee Clawson and Angela Robinette had the opportunity to work at Willett’s Tech after completing successful job interviews in June. Chris Ashenfelter and her team at Willett’s developed a summer project for the pair to complete, and as a result of their work performance during their tenure at Willett’s, the company extended their internship beyond the required six weeks. 

Jesse Ketterman was hired by Allegany College of Maryland to work in the college's IT department. He was responsible for managing more than 500 documents used on the ACM website, which totaled over 10,000 pages for the organization's ADA compliance project. Nick Taylor and his team at ACM were very pleased with Jesse's work ethic and aptitude.

Dakota Ketterman spent his summer working at UPMC Western Maryland in their IT department. Angie Miller and her team were grateful to have Dakota onboard to assist with work on a specific project that was estimated to have saved the hospital $25,000.