First piloted two years ago, CareerEdge’s Internship Reimbursement Program incentivizes employers in high-demand industries to hire college interns in order for them to gain valuable work experience. Employees receive up to $1,500 if they hire an intern at a minimum of $10 per hour. The program exposes students to the workforce while helping employers to develop talent in the growing sectors of healthcare, manufacturing, IT, transportation, financial services and construction trades. CareerEdge also partners with local colleges to encourage them to embed internships in more programs. 

One participant, Lea Vargas, used her internship as a path to a full-time position after graduating from the University of South Florida. When Vargas received an internship with the Manatee County Government, she discovered that she was more than “just an intern.” “The experience, responsibilities, projects and networking made me feel so much more confident when I got my full-time job," she says. "There’s no better way to prepare for entering the workforce after college than to immerse yourself in the thick of things." With the support of her supervisor, Vargas even had the opportunity to pursue training on computer programming systems and the Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software. She and a fellow intern have also been nationally selected to present a report at a GIS software conference in San Diego that they worked on and submitted during their internship program.

CareerEdge has provided over 130 interns with similar career-enhancing experiences. With funding support from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, CareerEdge has assisted over 40 organizations in the development of a talented workforce pipeline. 

CareerEdge