San Diego is launching an exciting opportunity for academic students to get paid while partaking in an internship.
The news was reported this week, confirming the new paid internship program that comes with $18.5 million from state funds.
Mayor Todd Gloria announced the launch of the program, "Employ and Empower", which aims at leading underprivileged young students into professional opportunities while still getting paid.
This $18.5 million in state funding is a portion of what Gov. Gavin Newsom had reserved in his 2021 state budget for the youth workforce development within the 13 biggest and most populated cities in all of California, San Diego included.
The city of San Diego has launched a new youth workforce program aimed at connecting underserved young people with paid career opportunities in the incoming years.
At the helm of the program is Kohta Zaiser, deputy director of community engagement in the mayor’s office. Zaiser says this is progress being made from the old ways of offering volunteering opportunities in professional settings, but not offering any financial pay in return for the time and effort as a student.
“It’s pretty groundbreaking that the city has received direct funding for paid internship opportunities,” Zaiser said. “Previously, there’s a lot of opportunities at the city that are unpaid and that are volunteer-based. And then if an office or department maybe has leftover money in the budget, they can fund one or two internship positions. That was never consistent.”
Zaiser says that hopefully this program inspires students to find an interest in public service, so that one day after becoming a college graduate, they go on to become full-time public servants in their communities.
“That’s really the overall intent of this program, and to hopefully create a pipeline for students to see themselves in public service and then be able to pursue a full-time job in public service after graduation,” he said.
The deputy director also added that the pay could hopefully add motivation to these students so that they don't feel like all they're getting is professional experience, but also make sure they are bringing home a paycheck along with the experience.
“You get to serve the city of San Diego and gain valuable professional experience … and doing so all the while bringing home a paycheck,” he said. “But most importantly, you’re serving the residents of the city — that’s what public service is all about. There’s an aspect to it that’s more than just the money.”
Application openings will be on a rolling basis with no deadline restrictions for any semester, including the summer, fall, or spring. Students interested in this internship program can find more information on the city’s website.
