Who Gave You Your First Break? WorkReady Philadelphia’s Innovative Approach to Stimulating Corporate Altruism on behalf of Inner-City Youth

Abstract

Summary

Internships for young adults offer vital opportunities for on-the-job training and networking, while at the same time allowing employers to demonstrate good corporate citizenship and groom a future workforce from a talented and energetic talent pool. However, many employers shy away from internship programs for understandable reasons: training short-term workers is often non-cost-effective, federal subsidies require reams of paperwork for compliance, and liability insurance for student-workers is expensive. As a consequence, internship opportunities are not offered on a scale that matches their potential, despite acknowledged benefits for interns and employers alike.

Ten years ago, the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN) was formed to continue to promote the importance of work and work-based learning in preparing young Philadelphians for college and career success. PYN's vision is that all of Philadelphia’s young people will take their rightful places as full and contributing members of a world-class workforce for the region. As a catalyst for collective action, the Philadelphia Youth Network makes connections among individuals, organizations, and systems by increasing capacity and resources in order to provide high-quality preparation so our city’s youth can thrive in a regional and global economy. Since its inception, much of PYN’s work has been driven by the belief that connecting youth and employers in ways that are efficient and effective for both is key to expanding the availability of high-quality internships and related workplace opportunities.

Acting as a partner and facilitator to hundreds of businesses across the city, PYN removes the traditional hindrances often associated with student internships, provides valuable experience to young adults, and improves the quality of Philadelphia’s future workforce.

WorkReady Philadelphia, the city’s system for youth workforce preparation, was established by the Philadelphia Youth Council in 2003 to coordinate existing youth employment programs, and to expand the number of workplace opportunities available to Philadelphia youth. Since that time, WorkReady — which is managed by PYN — has facilitated the placement of between 6,500 and 8,500 students each year in hundreds of worksites in the Philadelphia area. WorkReady relies increasingly on employer investment in youth internships. With support from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and leading employer champions, in the last three years more than 3,500 students have benefitted from employer-supported workplace internships. The process is simple, and the incentives are clear: local employers partner with PYN to place interns in their organizations or other high-quality worksites, and make a fixed contribution to PYN for each intern supported. Interns are matched to businesses based on their skills and interests, trained on the job, and spend an average of six weeks building workplace skills. Thus, by streamlining the internship process, PYN has helped to encourage more employers to take on interns and increased the overall number of experiences available.