Op-Ed Highlights Need for Equitable Access to High-Quality Internships

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Su Jin Gatlin Jez and Kirk Clark

The Silicon Valley Business Journal and San Francisco Business Times published this commentary from California Competes Executive Director Dr. Su Jin Gatlin Jez and California Business Roundtable Executive Vice President Kirk Clark on January 8, 2021. Ensuring that students from underserved backgrounds can successfully apply for internships, afford to accept such positions, and have the technological capabilities and equipment to complete them are outcomes that support California Competes’s broader goals regarding higher education and workforce alignment. This win-win proposition is also a smart business strategy that provides students the practical experience necessary to secure a professional job after graduation and supports a more equitable statewide recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Breaking the New Glass Ceiling: College Internship Access and Innovation in the Age of Covid-19

The disruption caused by the pandemic and the racial reckoning that has moved many companies to rethink their approach to diversity, equity and inclusion may provide an opportunity to get creative about recruiting and retention in 2021.

Internships play a critical role for businesses in identifying and engaging talent. Ensuring that internships provide a pathway for students from underserved backgrounds is both socially responsible and a smart business strategy — and provides students with the practical experience necessary to secure a professional job after graduation. It’s a win-win proposition for employers and students, who have faced myriad challenges as a result of Covid-19.

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