Ilitch Holdings and Cass Tech High team up for summer internship program

• Cass Tech students will have the opportunity to work at Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars, Olympia Entertainment and other Ilitch companies in paid, 10-week summer internships

DETROIT – Ilitch Holdings, Inc. has created an internship program for students at Detroit Public School’s Cass Technical High School. This new, paid internship program will provide Cass Tech students with hands-on experience at the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars, Olympia Entertainment and other Ilitch companies.

The interns were welcomed by Chris Ilitch at a Detroit Tigers pre-game ceremony before the Tigers Chicago Cubs game June 9.

The interns being recognized are: Shahriar Alam, Kai Benson, Aleah Betts, Sasha Coleman, Jayla Conner, Ajanae Cowart, Rejara Dorsey, Deontress Edwards, Raikisha Fleming, Brian Forte, Sheyenne Harris, Brandy Harrison, Kylynn Hodges, Chardanae Jameson, Destinee Jennings, Stephon Kemp, Che'Rai Laster, Tre Lee, Kourtney Lots, Jonae Maxey, Dajheonna Perry, Hunter Phelps, Justin Stewart and Isamar Velazquez.

Also at Tuesday's game, Principal Lisa Phillips threw the ceremonial first pitch, and a Cass Tech student sang the national anthem.

This summer, the students will benefit from professional skill-building opportunities and activities in a variety of areas, including Event Management, Marketing, Public Relations, Information Technology, Finance, Manufacturing, Research and Development and Human Resources.

“We are really excited about this partnership with our friends and neighbors at Cass Tech, a nationally recognized school of excellence,” said Christopher Ilitch, President and CEO of Ilitch Holdings. “The Cass Tech students selected for this program will play an important part in the continued growth of our City, as they work and learn alongside Ilitch organization professionals who are committed to Detroit, its neighborhoods and its people.”

“This internship program with the Ilitch family of companies is a unique and valuable opportunity for our students,” said Lisa Phillips, Principal of Cass Tech. “Showing our young people that good and exciting jobs are within their reach is a great way to help build and promote our community.”

The program consists of 24 internship positions. To qualify, students must be at least 16 years of age and have a GPA of at least 3.0. The 10-week internships will begin on June 22 and continue through August 28. Enrichment opportunities will include meetings with Ilitch company executives, professional workshops, networking opportunities, outings and tours. In addition, the Cass Tech interns will work directly with Ilitch company employees on business projects throughout the summer.

Community Connect
This internship program is one of many initiatives announced as part of Ilitch Holdings’ Community Connect program, an important element of the new Detroit Events Center and The District Detroit development. Through Community Connect, the Ilitch organization will ensure that this transformational initiative directly benefits the Detroit community. The Ilitch organization is also conducting comprehensive District Detroit workforce development and business participation outreach to ensure that local residents and businesses participate in the construction of the new arena. Community Connect is an integral part of the District’s success, and it will continue to evolve as the project evolves.

The new arena is the anchor of the $650 million public-private catalyst development project that includes a $200 million investment to redevelop an underutilized area between Downtown and Midtown Detroit into a mixed-use development of residential, retail and office space. The construction of the entire events center, residential and commercial mixed-use district will create approximately 8,300 construction and construction-related jobs. The building of the new events center alone is anticipated to create approximately 5,500 jobs with more than half of those construction jobs being filled by Detroit residents and over $100 million being paid to Detroit-resident workers.

For more information, visit www.DistrictDetroit.com to learn more.