Summer Career Academies
Paid Career Exploration for High School Students
Exciting Summer Career Academies Await! Use your summer to learn more about a career field of interest by participating in one of our many Summer Career Academies, and be paid for career exploration. General eligibility requirements are listed below and there are additional screening steps for all the Summer Career Academies. If you meet basic eligibility requirements, you will be contacted by Y.O.U. or one of our Community Partners for an interview and additional screening.
Please check the descriptions below to make sure your grade and location qualifies for the program you are applying for. You must fill out the summer jobs application and the interest form. If you have already filled out the application at an earlier date, you still should complete the interest form. You do not need to fill out the application more than once. For all questions, please email academies@youcle.org.
Step 1: Fill out the Academies Interest Form
Step 2: Fill out the Summer Work Experience Application
Building Great Futures: Construction Academy
Open to ages 16 and up who live in the City of Cleveland
During this 10-week program, participants will work hands-on with construction experts with Habitat for Humanity to refurbish homes for families in need. Throughout the experience, you will learn important skills related to the construction field while meeting and learning from others working in the construction field to see if this is a career you want to pursue.
Manufacturing Academy
Open to rising 11th and 12th graders
This program is a 6 week, paid, hands-on learning experience in partnership with MAGNET that helps Cuyahoga County students interested in technology, problem-solving and STEM explore career paths related to manufacturing. Students will spend 4 days a week learning about how things get made in Northeast Ohio and what their role might be in the manufacturing industry. Our partner, MAGNET, will connect you with skills training that you’ll earn a certification for, and lead you through great hands on activities and field trips to businesses around Northeast Ohio to give you a feel for what Cleveland has to offer in this growing and ever-changing industry.
Lead Abatement Education Academy
Open to 14-18 year olds who live in the City of Cleveland
Participants in this 6-week program will learn about the work of the Environment Health Watch (EHW) and the Lead Safe Resource Center (LSRC) and the importance of addressing lead poisoning in the City of Cleveland. Alongside lead-safety education, youth will further develop interview, networking, public speaking, and leadership skills. Participants will utilize these skills in developing a capstone project to recount their work experience and serve as youth ambassadors of the LSRC after the program concludes.
Marketing Academy
Open to rising 10th graders through recent graduates who live in the City of Cleveland
This program is a 8 week, paid, hands-on learning experience in partnership with the City of Cleveland that helps students interested in writing, design, and photography explore career paths related to these disciplines. Students will spend each week learning new skills, working on a self-guided marketing project, and hearing from community members to learn more about their work.
Art in Motion: Documentary Filmmaking Academy
Open to 16-18 year olds
This six-week program offers youth the unique opportunity to collaborate with award-winning industry leaders to learn the art of documentary storytelling and film production. Through this hands-on experience, participants will gain valuable professional skills to aid them in a lifetime of creative expression and artistic endeavors.
Skill Up Crew Up: Film Production Academy
Open to 15-18 year olds
This unique opportunity for high school youth aims to train and develop skills valuable to the production industry. Youth will gain hands-on technical experience and resources from industry professionals to ensure they are opening doors for themselves; behind a camera or in any of their other ambitions.
Pharmacy Technician Training Academy
Open to 18 year olds that are 2025 graduates
The Pharmacy Technician Academy is a 6-week training program at CVS Workforce Center created for 18-year-old graduates of the class of 2025. Y.O.U. has collaborated with CVS to create a pharmacy technician training program equipped with built-in job shadowing. Participants are introduced to job readiness and HIPAA training in the first 3 weeks of the program. In weeks 4-6, candidates will engage in classroom and firsthand pharmacy training. At the conclusion of the program, participants will prepare for a certification exam and potential opportunity to apply for work at CVS.
Public Service Academy
Open to rising 11th through 12th Graders who live in the City of Richmond Heights
This 6-week work experience is perfect for youth who are Richmond Heights students or citizens to learn more about their city’s local government. Participants will have the ability to rotate through various city departments to shadow careers in the mayor’s office, as well as police, fire, and recreation departments. This academy is a great opportunity to learn about the wide variety of careers that are possible inside municipal buildings in every community.
Dream Chasers: Entrepreneurship Academy
Open to 16-18 year olds
The Dream Chasers Summer Program is a six-week, project-based entrepreneurship initiative designed to empower youth aged 16-18 with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to transform their ideas into actionable business ventures. Hosted at John Carroll University, this program uniquely combines leadership development, real-world business insights, and community collaboration to create a one-of-a-kind experience for students within CMSD and the first-ring suburbs of Cuyahoga County.
Young Money Mentors: Financial Literacy Academy
Open to 16 to 18 year olds in City of Cleveland
Young Money Mentors is a financial literacy work experience in which students will learn positive financial habits and share them with fellow students in a peer-to-peer education model. Participants will engage in discussions surrounding how to manage their own finances, save for the future, budget their money wisely, and manage their expectations, priorities, attitudes, and values when it comes to their money. Furthermore, participants will give presentations on money management to help encourage healthy financial habits amongst their peers.
Questions?
If you still have questions, try contacting our Summer Jobs info line at 216-776-3900 or send an email to SummerJobsProgram@youcle.org.