Virginia Beach, VA (January 10, 2023) – The nation will soon discover its “Next Great Intern” through a free contest sponsored by Rubin, the leader in online instruction for employability and work readiness skills.

The first-ever America’s Next Great Intern contest highlights students who participate in career and technical education (CTE) or project-based (hands-on) classes and programs. All middle school, high school and post-secondary CTE students are eligible to participate.

Demand for intern and job applicants with “soft skills” remains a top priority across all industry sectors. According to a 2022 survey of employers by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), 76% of respondents want to hire young people who can work on a team, 73% want people with strong written communication skills and 58% seek new hires with strong speaking skills.

The submission period for the America’s Next Great Intern contest runs the month of February 2023, which is National CTE Month. Educators can register their class or school here. A panel of judges (Rubin team members, industry professionals and staff from the Association for Career and Technical Education) will assess the students across five areas.

1. Greeting: Video recording of the student engaging in a professional handshake
2. Phone Skills: Video recording of the student leaving a mock voicemail and answering the phone at a place of business
3. Team Communication: Email in which the student updates a teacher or employer on the status of classwork or a project at an internship/job
4. Resiliency & Determination: Written example of a time in which the student demonstrated resiliency in the face of a challenge on a class/club project, volunteer opportunity or task at an internship
5. Research & Critical Thinking: Questions the student prepares to better explore a company where the student would like to intern

The instructions are drawn from Rubin’s Emerge curriculum, a broad library of online exercises for employability skills like email/phone etiquette, job interview prep, LinkedIn communication and more. Rubin provides Emerge to CTE programs nationwide.

Every student who participates in the contest will receive a certificate and e-portfolio of their submitted work.

“Employers often lament that students today don’t possess the ‘soft skills’ necessary to engage in an office setting or on the job site,” said Danny Rubin, founder of Rubin. “We hope the contest shows that, yes, there are professional-grade young people coast to coast who will add value to any business or organization.”

For more information or to set up an interview, please contact Janelle Burchfield, media relations with the Rubin team, at  hello@jbdigital.media.

About Rubin

Rubin is the leader in online instruction for employability and work readiness skills. The company provides Emerge, a digital curriculum that teaches effective writing and speaking skills, to thousands of students in middle school, high school and higher education. Rubin also has a real-time notification tool for soft skills called Propel.

Founded in 2017 by Danny Rubin, a former CBS television news reporter and consultant to NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Rubin teaches students nationwide critical lessons for email/phone etiquette, networking, team communication, leadership communication and more. Our motto: “Write well, open doors!”

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