PROVIDENCE – The new PrepareRI internship program is now accepting applications, Gov. Gina M. Raimondo announced Wednesday.
The program, which will launch in this summer, will provide 100 rising high school seniors with paid internships and six college credits transferable to any college or university.
Students will work directly with employers for six to eight weeks, 25-35 hours per week. The application deadline is April 15 and the form must be completed online.
Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, or SkillsRI, will vet and match high schools seniors with internship opportunities. Students will work with SkillsRI in a week-long professional training program on skills and expectations for the workplace prior to their internship.
SkillsRI also will work with employers to develop internship descriptions as well as provide ongoing support to employer supervisors and students throughout the internship program.
The governor announced that more than 20 employers already have signed on to the program, including Amgen Inc., Citizens Bank, CVS Health Corp., Hasbro Inc. and Gilbane Development Co.
“Seventy percent of jobs in Rhode Island will require some form of postsecondary education or training, making work-based learning a critical piece of our workforce development strategy,” said Raimondo in a statement. “The PrepareRI Internship Program builds a strong talent pipeline for Rhode Island businesses and gives our young people a head start, allowing them to hone soft skills and learn on the job so they are better prepared for success after high school.”
Funding for the program comes from JP Morgan Chase and the Council of Chief State School Officers’s Skills for Youth initiative. The initiative previously pledged Rhode Island $2 million for the program over three years. Rhode Island was one of 10 states to receive the grant funding.
Roger Williams University and the Partnership for Rhode Island will sponsor the costs of the college credits.
More information about the program can be found at www.prepare-ri.org.
Below is a list of confirmed PrepareRI employer participants:
- AAA Northeast
- Access Point Rhode Island
- Amgen Inc.
- AstroNova Inc.
- Bank of America Corp.
- BankNewport
- Brown University
- Community College of Rhode Island
- Citizens Bank
- CVS Health Corp.
- DiStefano Brothers Construction Inc.
- General Dynamic Electric Boat
- FM Global
- Gilbane Development Co.
- Hasbro Inc.
- Herrick & White Architectural Woodworkers
- Konica Minolta Inc.
- Newport Restaurant Group
- Rhode Island College
- The Rhode Island Foundation
- The State of Rhode Island
- Santander Bank N.A.
- Utilidata Inc.
- Walgreens Co.
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
