Despite the challenges that Coronavirus has placed on the community, the Miami-Dade Youth Internship Program is committed to providing internships to students
The Miami-Dade Youth Internship Program (SIYP) is offering meaningful paid internships for high school students despite the pandemic. This year, students had to make sacrifices and adjust to a new learning landscape. Some still attend school virtually, and those in-person experience limited school activities and interactions. However, this opportunity means that students will be able to gain career advancement skills during the pandemic.
With a unique partnership between the Miami-Dade government, the business sector, and various nonprofits, SIYP can offer internships for all students in the community. This program especially encourages students of color, physical or cognitive disabilities, and transitioning out of the foster care system to apply.
The SIYP works magnificently by pairing student interns with companies that match their interests. Through their work, the students will gain transferable skills that can be applied in various high-demand industries; such as healthcare, IT, and finance.
Digital Media Teacher, Ms. Lisa Espinosa, at Westland Hialeah Senior High School shared, “College is not for everyone, but everyone has to work. This program is great! The kids get to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it in the real world.”
In 2020, more than 2,000 students from 50 different high schools took part in the program. They worked at nearly 600 different companies, where 61% of the internships were offered virtually. Of the students that participated, 67% qualified for free or reduced lunch, and eleven percent live with a disability.
“My favorite thing about the internship is that I got to see many people of diverse backgrounds working together towards one goal. I loved working in a group and being able to take the lead to showcase my team’s strengths,” said student participant Ingrid Arias. Ingrid worked in the communications department of the Children’s Trust during her transitioning summer from tenth grade to eleventh grade.
The skills gained from an internship can be life-changing for our students and chances like these must be taken advantage of. As Ms. Espinosa shared, “A lot of our students will get job offers from this program. The employers are often impressed with the skills that the students have going into the internship.”
For additional information and to fill out an application, visit https://miami.getmyinterns.org/.
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