Earning a degree from a reputable public or nonprofit school is the best and most reliable way to build a high-paying, high-quality career.
But there are ways to make your college experience more powerful, at least in terms of job and career preparation. One way to do that is through internships. It is effective to bring young learners and future workers into the companies and organizations that employ them, and to allow students, interns and apprentices to learn by doing some of the actual work. We've known this for centuries, long before publicly accessible universities existed. There are solid reasons to believe that combining an internship experience with a college degree is better than either alone.
Even knowing this, the productive integration of internships within university degree programs is hardly universal. Last year, Gallup surveyed college internships and found that only 41% of undergraduates completed an internship while in school. Even worse, the percentage is lower for first-generation college students (27%) and public school students (36%).
The challenge in expanding internship options at universities is that universities themselves are often unable to give the issue the attention it needs. Although valuable, establishing viable and valuable career-related internships is not the core mission of any university. Just as creating a college internship program is not the core mission of many standard private companies.
Fortunately, creative companies themselves are stepping up to connect the dots, expanding students' career-specific experiences, helping universities improve outcomes, and growing business-ready talent pipelines. I'm letting you do it. The market claims that integrating these will bring progress and benefits. Podium education is a good example.
Chris Parrish, co-founder and president of partnerships at Podium Education, said: “All undergraduates, regardless of their background or circumstances, should have the ability to gain some real-world experience in their career path.” said. “Together with our university partners, we believe our platform will usher in a new era in how millions of students are matched with colleges and careers.”
Podium Education already partners with more than 60 universities, including prestigious universities such as Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. According to the company, thousands of students have completed the internship program, and 86% of them said the experience increased the value of their college degree.
It's also good business.
Podium recently announced the acquisition of Untapped. Untapped is described as “an all-in-one early career software and talent marketplace that helps the world's best employers hire qualified, diverse interns and graduates at scale.” According to the announcement, the company works with JPMorgan, DoorDash, and The Trade Desk to “source talent, host hiring events, build employer brand, post jobs, review inbound applications, and measure hiring efficiency.” It is said to be collaborating with companies such as Podium says Untapped has more than 300 corporate partners and more than 2,000 recruiters using the platform.
Commenting on the acquisition, Brooks Morgan, co-founder and CEO of Podium Education, said: Acquiring Untapped will accelerate our ability to execute on that vision. ” The new path and offerings are “the bridge we always wanted to build,” he said.
The key to the success of these programs is that they are designed in partnership with the Podium companies, rather than textbook options or cookie-cutter templates. The company says students often earn college credit through internships or earn skill-specific qualifications or certifications.
Increasing on-campus internship opportunities with real companies and organizations would also be valuable to universities, where Podium programs and services are available free of charge.
“Providing real-world learning experiences for our students is core to our mission,” said Gretchen Kneizler, vice president for international affairs at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. directly to the world.” Classroom,” she said.
A college degree already has great value, so adding a clear career booster like an industry internship only strengthens your academic credentials. Students who access this will be better prepared. Enterprises and other companies add employee training and acquisition pipelines. And schools that offer opportunities such as integrated internships will be better positioned to weather the vagaries of public opinion, economics, funding, and demographics. It's a rare trifecta, a trifecta. And it's heartening to see the growth and expansion of companies that create this kind of academic and career value.
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