Advancing Careers and Employment (ACE)

The ACE Program is a youth employment program that offers young people ages 16-24 paid summer internship and professional development experience. Participants are able to explore a variety of careers within the cities of Hopkins and Minnetonka, and build and grow their professional and leadership skills.

ACEentials

Want help navigating your summer job hunt? Have a job and want to build your skills even further? Young people ages 14-24 can participate in our ACEentials program to learn they need to successfully land a job and to navigate the work environment, even if not planning to be a summer intern with the ACE Program. ACEentials is a requirement for the ACE Summer Internship Program.

ACEentials will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hopkins Pavilion. Sign up for this year’s ACEentials program.

Summer Internships

The ACE program provides a paid eight-week internship where young adults will work in one of our City departments, including Community Development and Inspections, Administration and Finance, Police, Fire, Public Works, the Hopkins Center for the Arts, and the Hopkins Activity Center.

Eligibility

The program is partially grant funded and focuses on meeting the needs of youth traditionally under-represented in the workforce. 

Applicants must face one of the following barriers to employment:

  • Youth from communities of color who are under-represented in the workforce. 
  • Be eligible for free or reduced lunch at school.
  • Have an Individual Education Plan or have a physical, mental, learning, emotional, or behavioral disability.
  • Be pregnant, an expecting parent, or a parent.
  • Are/will be the first person in my immediate family to receive a high school diploma.
  • Are/will be the first person in my immediate family to graduate college.
  • Self and/or parents immigrated to the U.S.
  • Are currently taking English Language Learner (ELL) classes.
  • Have experienced homelessness or stayed in temporary housing in the last 6 months.
  • Have received or am currently receiving foster care services.
  • Have or their caregiver have had interactions with the criminal justice system.
  • Dropped out of high school before receiving a diploma or GED, or attending an alternative learning center
  • Other - reviewed through application process.

Timeline

An image of a timeline for the 2023 Advancing Careers and Employment Program

  • Apply – April 11: Applications for internships open
  • ACEentials – May 6: Complete your internship prep
  • Interview Day – May 6: Interview for internship Spots
  • Selection Notification – May 10: Confirm internship match
  • Orientation – June 12: Mandatory Internship and Caregiver Orientation
  • First day – June 21: Start your first day!

Apply

Ready to be an intern? Fill out the application form.