Mayor Nutter and Chamber Team Up To Identify 2,000 Summer Internships

To meet Mayor Nutter’s challenge of doubling the number of summer internships, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) announced that it has launched an ambitious two-pronged initiative to identify 2,000 paid positions for Philadelphia young people.

Businesses throughout the 11-county region are encouraged either to offer an internship at their workplace or to fund a position at a non-profit organization.

Mayor Nutter announced today that City Hall will provide 100 internships, funded from non-public sources.

In addition, Joseph A. Frick, Independence Blue Cross president and CEO, said his company will again provide 50 internships and also make a donation to fund 62 additional positions at non-profits.

With these announcements plus commitments from other previous employer participants, the Chamber has 502 internship positions already designated for this summer.

"I put out an ambitious goal of essentially doubling what had been done in the past," said Mayor Nutter at a news conference. "We cannot be afraid of challenging ourselves. We are a great city and region and we have the resources to do this kind of thing.

"As good as we did last summer, we know that there are still young people out there that need these opportunities."

Mark Schweiker, GPCC president & CEO, urged every regional employer to contribute to the internship campaign.

"These internships bring Philadelphia young people inside a professional workplace, sometimes for the first time, and show them how they can become part of the region’s future workforce," said Mr. Schweiker.

These internships are managed by the Philadelphia Youth Network (PYN), as part of the WorkReady Philadelphia system of programs. In addition to PYN, the Chamber's partners in recruiting employers include Philadelphia Academies, Inc. and the United Way of Southeastern PA. The corporate partner is Commerce Bank. The media partner is CBS3 and CW57.

An employer who cannot host an internship because of location or logistics may fund a position at a non-profit organization. In most cases, the employer can designate which non-profit will receive the intern.

Last summer, the Chamber’s efforts helped identify 1,049 positions, thanks to the support of 138 regional businesses, foundations, and non-profit organizations.

"The business community has the ability — and even more, the responsibility — to offer our young people a helping hand," said Mr. Frick, chairman of the GPCC Board of Directors. "Many of the kids who participate in this program have limited opportunities for work. This can be a real disadvantage for these deserving young people."

The six-week paid summer internship program begins June 30. Each position costs the employer about $1,600, which includes intern salary and program administration. Interns work at least 20 hours per week Monday through Thursday and attend professional development programs offsite on Fridays.

Internships are open to Philadelphia students who will enter 11th grade or higher in the fall. All students are pre-screened and pre-qualified.

Internships are part of the Chamber’s Working Solutions initiative, which also includes Business Mentoring Youth, a workplace mentoring program for Philadelphia 10th graders, and advocacy for a Pennsylvania tax credit for businesses that hire disadvantaged youth.

HB 2196, sponsored by State Representative Josh Shapiro (D-Montgomery) would provide a modest tax benefit to businesses that employ underprivileged youth throughout the Commonwealth with tax credits in the amount of 70 percent of the business's total expenses in employing an at-risk youth. An at-risk youth is an individual between 14 and 21 whose median family income does not exceed 235 percent of the federal poverty level.

Two students from George Washington Carver High School for Engineering & Science who had internships last summer expressed their views about the experience at today’s news conference.

"Summer internships are a very good way for teenagers to learn things about themselves that they did not know before. Interning is also a good way for teenagers to be able to do ‘hands on’ work at a young age," said Andre Howard, a junior who interned at Stradley Ronon law firm.

"All young people are talented in some way - we just need a little push and support. Everybody wants to feel that they are important and have a purpose," said Shalea Nicholson, a senior who interned at Pennoni Associates, Inc.

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