Students and grads scrambling for PAID internships and jobs

Summer is fast approaching, and December 2010 college graduates who have not found jobs yet are in competition with university students for available summer jobs. If you don’t network, know hiring managers, or have a good relationships with instructors or recruiters, your chances of finding a summer job or internship are low.

To make matters worse, some companies are offering unpaid positions to those seeking to gain work experience. “Why should we pay an inexperienced, 20-something year old when others will work for free?" said one hotel marketing executive who wished to remain anonymous. These types of unpaid jobs are not deemed "slavery" but are "volunteer" opportunities in exchange for experience - a present day apprenticeship without pay.

This is all happening 150 years after the beginning of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, when it was o.k. to have slaves as property. Now it's o.k. to have unpaid interns, and volunteerism is o.k. because folks looking for jobs MAY get one if they try out the job for free first. Amazing how an issue comes full circle.

Of course, the less your overhead, the more your profits, and some companies are opting to only hire unpaid interns which is very disheartening for enterprising youth who do not have enough money to cover car maintenance, gas expenses, or bus fare to go to unpaid assignments.

Companies and governments must realize that honor students and future entrepreneurs, who sometimes make the best job and internship candidates, are looking at assignments very carefully and are picky when choosing employers.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, "...the share of young people (16-24 year olds) who were employed in July (2010) was 48.9 percent, the lowest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948. Unemployment among youth increased by 571,000 between April and July, about half as much as in each of the two previous summers."

For students looking for work in the Atlanta metro area, Watershed Management’s Summer Internship Program offers PAID summer jobs and internships; however, children of DWM employees will be given first consideration.

The program, which runs from May 26 to July 22, gives students real world experiences and provides a unique insight into operations in wastewater, drinking water, customer services and administration. Students must have a current transcript or proof of enrollment along with a college ID.

Interested students should review the project descriptions and complete an application online at www.atlantawatershed.org. For more information, contact Keyanna Howard at 404-865-8543.

The Georgia Department of Labor is also hiring college juniors and seniors and technical college students in their final semester. The year-round internship program will provide college students with practical work experience, an opportunity to earn school credit, and a chance to make up to $2,400 during the course of a semester. Interns will be assigned to state labor offices based on student interest and office needs.

For more information, visit the Georgia Department of Labor’s website, or contact Ms. Janice Reaves-Jackson at Janice.Reaves@dol.state.ga.us, or call (404) 656-2683.

©2011 Tomi Johnson. All rights reserved.