93. Create paid internship opportunities and summer jobs programs for high school students with lower incomes.

Partnerships and P-12 Education Systems 09.6.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • The U.S. Department of Education should collect, conduct, and disseminate data on students’ participation in (and best practices for) paid internship and summer programs disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and disability.

Here’s what state government can do:

  • State legislatures should commission state workforce agencies to partner with state education agencies (SEAs) and higher education coordinating agencies to establish paid internship and summer jobs programs for students between the ages of 14 and 21 years, particularly those with lower incomes.

Here’s what institutional leaders can do:

  • P-12 systems and higher education institutions should provide student support services to build resumes, learn to network, enhance interview skills, offer access to attire, and additional services that can facilitate the process of applying for internships and summer jobs programs.
  • Higher education institutions should provide financial support to students with lower incomes to be able to meet their basic needs expenses while participating in internships.

Policymakers should develop stronger partnerships through internships and summer jobs programs that provide students with the leadership development training, life skills, and work-readiness skills to support their transition from high school to postsecondary education and/or career employment. Research shows that internship experiences create pathways to networking, expanded social capital, and direct connections to job offers.[i] Providing greater access to paid internships for traditionally underrepresented students can open opportunities and create pathways to a more diversified workforce.

Despite the benefits of internship opportunities, high school students from lower income backgrounds are less likely to have access to internships.”[ii]

[i] “Position Statement: Unpaid Internships and the Need for Federal Action,” National Association of Colleges and Universities, May 2023. https://www.naceweb.org/uploadedfiles/files/2023/resources/nace-position-statement-unpaid-internships-and-the-need-for-federal-action-may-2023.pdf.

[ii]“‘One Step Closer to Achieving What I Learned in School,’” Here to Here, January 17, 2020. https://www.heretohere.org/resource/one-step-closer-to-achieving-what-i-learned-in-school/.