Scholars At Work: Taivon Edwards

With support from the NYC Small Business Services' Scholars at Work program, ARCHITECTURAL GRILLE offered full time positions to several high school students who participated in a 14-week paid internship program.

In 2014, Taivon Edwards started his internship in Architectural Grille’s AutoCAD design department. As a result of his technical training at Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design as well as his work readiness preparation at NYC Business Solutions, we were able to place Taivon in our drafting department as a CAD Operator. “My internship experience at Architectural Grille allowed me to choose exactly what I wanted to study in college… architecture. I was in between many different options such as software programming and mechanical engineering. Without the internship/experience at Architectural Grille and seeing how well products are designed and manufactured, I would have had a much harder time figuring out what my main interest was.” 

With accuracy and a meticulous eye, Taivon drafts CAD drawings that guide the creation of custom architectural grilles and decorative metal fabrication products. Today, Taivon is a valued member of the Architectural Grille team while pursuing his studies of Architectural Technology at NYC College of Technology.   

“I have recommended Scholars at Work to many of my peers before and I will continue to do so, because I am well aware of how beneficial it can be to young adults who are just getting out of high school and/or not sure what career path they should choose. The program provides weeks of training on skills that you will need in order to succeed in a working environment”

Architectural Grille will continue their participation in the Scholars at Work program. By training interns, who come with job readiness skills and an interest in metal manufacturing, Architectural Grille has the opportunity to develop a reservoir of potential employees who are knowledgeable in our manufacturing techniques and company culture. 

About Scholars At Work

The Scholars at Work Program is a collaborative project between NYC Business Solutions Industrial & Transportation, the Workforce Investment Board, and the NYC Department of Education.  To request an intern or learn more about the Scholars at Work program, please contact Business Relationship Manager, Andy Kertesz, at (718) 577-2195 / akertesz@grantassociatesinc.com.