Businesses can build bridges between education and industry by offering work-based learning programs, while boosting their talent development strategies as well, according to a report by American Student Assistance, as reported in K-12 Dive.
In a survey of 500 U.S. businesses, 86% of those with high school interns said their program aimed to strengthen their industry pipeline as a whole and 81% said they filled their employment pipeline with diverse candidates due to internships.
Although the number of businesses that offer high school internships has increased during the past five years, few students take part in one, the report found. Survey respondents said they’d be more likely to start an internship program if they had an increase in funding for intern pay and the ability to identify a suitable workload for interns.
Internship programs can pose challenges, survey respondents said, such as determining the work to give interns, attracting qualified candidates and scheduling around interns’ availability. Employers also pointed to concerns related to many interns’ lack of transportation to the workplace, a lack of staff resources to manage interns and a lack of funding for an internship program.
Although U.S. middle school and high school students display an aptitude for in-demand careers, they’re often not inclined to pursue those occupations due to a lack of exposure, according to a YouScience report. College-to-career pathways, internship programs and on-the-job shadowing could close the gap.
K-12 Dive
