Why Mentoring Internships
If your company is not part of the solution, it’s part of the problem.
Youth Unemployment
In the United States, youth unemployment is double that of adults. Studies by McKinsey & Co., Accenture, etc., report that half of college graduates take jobs below their skills levels. Why? Because they’re “career-disadvantaged’”: they have little information about future careers to pursue and experience in those workplaces. Getting such insights while still in school would enable them to make better career decisions. Worldwide, youth unemployment is even worse. Compounding the problem, the choice of first jobs often affects future options. Indeed, one study of college student interns found that 68% would accept less pay for more experience
“Great Resignation” By Younger Adults
Initial studies on the “Great Resignation” identify many reasons why people are giving up their jobs, especially the adults in their emerging and early stages or adulthood. Overall, the Covid-19 Pandemic forced many people to challenge their prior decisions concerning tradeoffs they had been making between time for work, family, taking care of one’s health, passions and sense of purpose. As adults and experts report on AgeBrilliantly.org, why sacrifice time for family and self to commute and travel for business, when similar results can be produced sometimes using remote communication tools like Zoom and Teams?
“Great Resignation” By Younger Adults
In addition, millions of older adults who thought about retiring in the near future, decided to exit early. Prior to the Pandemic, there was an increasing trend for people to continue working past their original target age (e.g., 55-65), as they realized that they were in good health and productive and might live into their 80s. Further, previously an increasingly larger percentage of these who did take the scheduled retirement, were unsatisfied with the resulting lifestyle (that most hadn’t really thought through) and re-joined the workforce as a volunteer or paid participant taking on new career roles in order to stay productive and healthy
This waste of human potential affects everyone – you, your company, your employees and society in general. And, as Wharton Professor Cappelli concluded in Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs, companies need to take the lead – and not rely on schools, government, etc.
Your Company Benefits, Too!
By offering a Mentoring Internship Program so Mentees of all ages can make better first and later career decisions, by giving them access to a workplace, identify the skills they need, and identify whether they will be culture fit, your company also benefits
- Departments/companies use less-expensive labor to get projects completed
- Mentors you’re selected get to practice management/supervision skills
- Mentors gain the satisfaction of knowing they’ve helped others get valuable experiences
- Companies identify potential future recruits who will fit into their company in the future
- Your company elevates its brand image among students, adults and the community