Through training, Facebook employee mentorship and a 12-week paid virtual summer internship, Facebook and Workforce Solutions Capital Area are equipping underserved jobseekers with 21st-century skills and connecting them to digital marketing careers.
AUSTIN, TX – Workforce Solutions Capital Area and Facebook are teaming up this summer to assist 30 unemployed and underemployed Travis County job seekers to earn paid experience in digital marketing and social media with local businesses through the Facebook Career Connections Fellowship Program.
Facebook designed Career Connections to connect emerging talent to training opportunities, internships, and a network of professional mentors. By curating a pipeline of career-ready talent from diverse backgrounds, Facebook Career Connections helps local businesses remain competitive.
The Facebook Career Connections program’s mission is to create jobs, train jobseekers and support businesses. It accelerates the economic success for underserved jobseekers and small businesses across the US.
Workforce Solutions Capital Area, the local workforce development board for Travis County, partnered with Facebook to introduce their program to Central Texas. Workforce Solutions will cover interns’ wages with funds from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and help Facebook recruit businesses to participate.
Eligible applicants must be age 18 or older and live in Travis County. Residents earning a two- or four-year degree must graduate between May and August to be eligible for Career Connections. Fellows are vetted by Facebook employees and Workforce Solutions Capital Area.
Upon selection for the program, fellows participate in online Facebook training on digital marketing and social media. Each fellow is paired with a Facebook mentor who guides and supports them throughout the 12-week program.
Participants will receive two months of social media training with Facebook before their fellowships. Then, they will be paired with a local business to apply what they learned as a paid intern. During their fellowships, they will receive continuous training, technical support, and mentorship by a Facebook employee. The summer program runs from mid-May to mid-August, held either virtually or in-person.
Once training is complete, local businesses are matched with fellows through an interview process.
Facebook will also provide special benefits to participating businesses, including $500 in Facebook and Instagram ad credits, access to exclusive trainings, online recognition and more.
“We are proud to partner with Facebook to usher in this initiative in Central Texas. This is an opportunity for motivated job seekers to receive the training needed to enter a digital marketing career and for businesses to grow their digital presence,” said Tamara Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer at Workforce Solutions Capital Area.
Job seekers and businesses in Travis County can apply on Facebook’s Career Connections website. The deadline to apply is March 12.
About Workforce Solutions Capital Area
Workforce Solutions Capital Area Workforce Board is the publicly-funded workforce board for Travis County. Through strong partnerships and strategic collaborations, Workforce Solutions is leading the region’s workforce system in the development of a world-class workforce.
About Facebook Career Connections
Career Connections is a Facebook initiative that expands student access to meaningful careers in their communities while contributing to the growth of local businesses. Facebook Career Connections helps businesses remain competitive by curating a pipeline of innovative, career-ready workers, upskilling them in social media management and digital marketing, equipping them with the soft skills they need to succeed and matching them with a Facebook employee mentor. Through Facebook Career Connections, Facebook-trained students are connected with local businesses for 12-week Fellowships (currently accepting applications for summer 2021); businesses receive access to online learning through Facebook, as well Facebook/Instagram ad credits worth $500.
