Please join us in welcoming Andrew Pettersson to OLS Bellevue College as the new Internship Program Manager. Andrew brings over eight years of experience working in disability employment services, and is excited to bring his knowledge and expertise to the OLS program.
Andrew holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in History from the University of Washington. He completed two years of course work at Bellevue College before being accepted into UW as a Music Performance major. In 2012 he earned a Disability Employment Professional Certificate from Highline College.
Throughout his career he has worked as a job developer with DVR customers, an employment specialist in King County’s School-to-Work program, and most recently has worked on disability employment grants in the WorkSource system. As an employment specialist he worked to provide hands-on support for people in the workplace and built relationships with local businesses to create job opportunities for people with disabilities.
As the Internship Program Manager, Andrew is responsible for the entire internship process for 4th year OLS students, helping them turn the career pathway they’ve developed over three years into an internship with local partner employers. He and the rest of the Internship team also work closely with student interns, providing support to them throughout the duration of the internship.
In addition to making sure students have a successful and rewarding internship experience, Andrew hopes to create new partnerships with local businesses and get OLS more involved in the business community.
“It’s going to open a lot of doors and provide more options for our students, and the businesses we partner with will benefit as well,” he says. “Our interns have acquired communication and problem solving skills throughout the OLS Program, which are extremely critical for anyone in today’s workplace. Additionally the support we provide throughout the internship can help the business expand their Diversity and Inclusion practices and navigate things like workplace accommodations. That’s all very valuable for our internship business partners.”
He is also excited to be part of the student’s journey at OLS. “It’s so exciting to see them go through the process of self-discovery and self-advocacy, bringing all their skills into a real workplace. It’s a four-year long program, and I am lucky to be a part of the payoff at the end.”
If you are interested in hosting an internship with OLS, contact Andrew at (425) 564-5205 or Andrew.Pettersson@BellevueCollege.edu. Learn more about the OLS Bellevue College program on our website.
Last Updated December 11, 2019