COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          9b 
BRIEFING ITEM                             Date of Meeting     November 27, 2018 
DATE:     October 24, 2018 
TO:        Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director 
FROM:    Amberine Wilson, HR Outreach Program Manager 
Kim DesMarais, Interim Sr. Human Resources Director 
SUBJECT:  Port of Seattle Youth Internship Programs 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
The following memo details Port employee and division support of the internship program, a
status  on  program  goals,  and  a  summary  of  lessons  learned  and  recommendations.
Additionally, it includes program vision, mission, strategic objectives, and best practices. It also
includes a list of Career Connected Learning actions planned by Human Resources, Workforce
Development, Public Affairs, and Office of Strategic Initiatives. 
INTERN SUPERVISION COMMITMENTS 
It takes more than 200 Port employees, plus the interns themselves, to make the internship
programs successful. Port employees help with outreach, interviewing, selection, onboarding,
and badging of interns. They speak at events and help with event planning, coordination, and
support. They supervise, mentor, lead cohort projects, and coach interns on appropriate
professional behavior. They make time for informational interviews and volunteer at intern
activities. The Port of Seattle's employees are an integral part of this program's success. 
Division supervising commitments out of a total of 143 interns at the Port in 2018: 
Aviation 32% 
Corporate 24% 
Maritime 23% 
Capital Development 20% 
Economic Development 1% *it should be noted that ED is a small division and also
supports many internship activities and leads broader career-connected learning
initiatives. 
The work of some divisions and departments creates different opportunities for either high
school or college level internships. For example, Capital Development accounts for 34% of
college interns while Aviation accounts for 35% of high school interns. A more detailed
breakdown of intern commitments by division in shown in the table below: 

Template revised April 12, 2018.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. _9b                                 Page 2 of 5 
Meeting Date: November 13, 2018 
Division                  % of Total HS interns    % of Total College &    % of All Port Interns 
Graduate interns 
Aviation                 35                       24                       32 
Capital Development    11                     34                     20 
Corporate              21                     26                     24 
Economic            2                    0                    1 
Development 
Maritime               31                     16                     23 
STATUS ON INTERNSHIP PROGRAM GOALS 
Goal 1: Offer internships to at least 90 local high school students and 30 college students 
(1) Hired 50 college interns as of October 2018 
(2) Hired 92 high school interns as of October 2018 
o  81 during summer program 
o  11 during pilot fall maintenance program 
Goal 2: Raise local youth's awareness of the Port of Seattle's community involvement and
Port related careers. 
(1) Worked with college interns and public affairs to create a "Port Career Pursuits" game
that teaches high school interns about Port industries and workplace expectations while
giving them an opportunity to work together in teams to present what they learned. 
(2) Worked with Workforce Development and many community partners to offer multiple
industry awareness events: 
a.  Project Lift (Aviation and Skilled Trades) 
b.  South Lake Union Day (Maritime and Skilled Trades) 
c.   Sustainability Systems Thinking (Environmental) 
d.  Strategic Planning and Public Policy (Public Administration) 
(3) Worked with Public Affairs to facilitate Port Leader Speaker series for college interns so
they could meet and learn from leaders across the Port 
(4) Worked with Public Affairs to facilitate airport and seaport tours for college interns so
they could see the variety of Port infrastructure and business 
Goal 3: Build a diverse talent pipeline for the Port and Port related industries. 
(1) 45% of high school and college interns were female 
(2) 30% of total high school and college interns did not respond regarding their race. The
majority of interns that did not fill out this data were college interns. As a result, our
data is incomplete. 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. _9b                                 Page 3 of 5 
Meeting Date: November 13, 2018 
Given the information provided: 
a.  55% of interns were youth of color 
b.  15% were white 
c.   30% did not respond 
(3) We do not yet have data for the 11 new interns in the pilot fall maintenance program;
however, if we look at the 81 interns in the high school summer program: 
a.  77% were youth of color 
b.  17% were white, non-Hispanic 
c.   6% did not respond 
Lessen the opportunity gap among disadvantaged youth in King County. 
(1) Partnerships 
a.  This year we developed 5 additional partnerships with local organizations that
work directly with disadvantaged youth in King County. 
b.  These partnerships are crucial to the recruitment and support of youth, as well
as the development of curriculum that will empower them. 
(2) Youth Interns at the Port 
a.  At least 47% of high school interns come from low income families. 
b.  At least 6 interns were youth with disabilities. 
c.   Approximately 77% of high school interns were youth of color. 
SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED 
Supervising an intern is work that takes time and has an impact on the entire team.
Having work plans with clear deliverables and deadlines helps both the supervisor and
the youth be more successful. 
To ensure program equity, local youth serving community organizations should be
involved in multiple steps of the process, from helping to select youth to assisting with
program curriculum design. 
Improving communications with partner organizations and creating a strategic plan for
identifying, prioritizing, and evaluating potential partnerships. 
Supervisors who had interns with performance issues were more likely to be unsatisfied
with the overall program. 
Badging at the airport is a challenge. 
Interns appreciated the orientation and the opportunity to network and learn about
port-related careers. 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. _9b                                 Page 4 of 5 
Meeting Date: November 13, 2018 
Fall Maintenance Intern Program has started. Customized training may be necessary,
especially for safety. 
2019 INTERNSHIP PROGRAM RECOMMENDATIONS 
(1) Develop  a  comprehensive  Career  Connected  Learning  Strategy  with  Workforce
Development, Public Affairs and community partners to build out a pipeline for Port
careers 
(2) Hire college intern to support youth outreach, program administration, and internship
alumni engagement. 
(3) Hire Talent Acquisition Representative focused on recruiting for HR outreach programs. 
(4) Ensure all interns fill out emergency contact information and employee information. 
(5) Build partnership with indigenous community organizations that serve local youth. 
(6) Increase Supervisor Support: 
a.  Work  with  community  organizations  to  develop  project  based  learning
curriculum and work plans. 
b.  Provide Spirit and Wellness points to all Port employees who participate in the
internship program through supervision, mentorship or volunteering. 
c.   Launch Community of Practice for all Port employees interested in supporting
the internship programs. 
d.  Continue to understand and address department barriers to hosting interns. 
e.  Continue to conduct satisfaction surveys, lessons learned meetings, and process
evaluations. Implement improvements as appropriate. 
(7) Develop and implement new community-based mentorship program. Leverage Port's
external partners for mentorship program and networking workshop. 
(8) Launch two part-time school year pilot programs: Fall Maintenance and Port Youth
Ambassadors. 
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND 
2019 CAREER CONNECTED LEARNING STRATEGIC ACTIONS 
The following are actions planned by Human Resources, Workforce Development, External
Relations (Ext. Relations), and the Office of Strategic Initiatives: 
Conduct five Career Awareness Tours that reach approximately 300 students (Ext.
Relations). 
Expand current career awareness and exploration activities to middle schools (WFD, Ext.
Relations). 
Conduct Environmental Challenge with Raisbeck Aviation High School (Ext. Relations). 
Hire college intern to support youth outreach and internship alumni engagement (HR) 
Hire Talent Acquisition Representative focused on outreach and College Intern
Recruitment (HR) 

Template revised September 22, 2016.

COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. _9b                                 Page 5 of 5 
Meeting Date: November 13, 2018 
Develop and implement strategic partnership plan to  expand partnerships with
community organizations and academic institutions. (HR, WFD, Ext. Relations, OSI) 
Focus on Skills Center and CTE program alignment before and after internship program
to support career learning continuum (WFD) 
Implement 2018 recommended changes: 
o  Offer information sessions for all Port employees with different ways of getting
involved: supervise, mentor, lead cohort project, volunteer for informational
interviews. (HR) 
o  Work  with  community  organizations  to  develop  project  based  learning. 
curriculum and work plans to assist supervisors with managing interns (HR). 
o  Offer targeted career awareness events for Aviation and Maritime (HR, WFD). 
o  Develop and implement new community-based mentorship program. Leverage
Port's external partners for mentorship program and networking workshop.
Reach out in particular to WMBEs in Port related industries.  (HR, Ext. Relations,
OSI). 
Continue to understand and address department barriers to hosting interns (HR). 
Partner with King County on regional Career Connected Learning continuum (WFD, OSI). 
Research opportunities for academic internships and community college level
internships (HR) 
Offer part-time school year opportunities (HR): 
o  Partner with local skills centers to pilot Fall Maintenance Program in Fall of 2018
(HR, MM, AVM). 
o  Pilot Port Youth Ambassadors program in Spring of 2019 (HR, Ext. Relations). 
Conduct satisfaction surveys, lessons learned meetings, and process evaluations (HR). 
Provide Spirit and Wellness points to all Port employees who participate in Port. 
internship program by supervising, mentoring, or volunteering at events (HR) 
Identify appropriate role for Port of Seattle to add value in the regional system (WFD,
OSI). 
Support Youth Maritime Collaborative and Airport Operations Collaborative to create
more internship and apprenticeship opportunities in the region (WFD). 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
(1)   Presentation slides 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS [For information and examples, follow this link.] 
None 



Template revised September 22, 2016.