High School Internships Can Be a Win-Win

American Student Assistance, a national nonprofit, surveyed 500 employers to understand what motivates companies to offer youth internships and apprenticeships. The results, listed in Building Bridges Between Education and Industry, provide insight into how organizations can use work-based learning (in other words, opportunities for students aged 18 and younger to learn through work) to develop future talent pipelines.

"With a better understanding of the benefits realized by providing access to the workplace for those younger than 18, as well as how to overcome common challenges, the business sector will be well-positioned to play an equal role alongside education in preparing today's youth for tomorrow's jobs," the report says.

Companies vary in their decision to offer internships to high school students. However, an overwhelming majority of respondents cited giving back to the community as either a somewhat or very important reason for offering an internship program. The remaining top reasons for offering high school internships are helping students gain skills and exposing them to careers that may otherwise be inaccessible.

Participating employers realize the benefits of high school interns in their talent development and diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies; 86 percent said high school interns have strengthened their industry pipeline, and 78 percent have enhanced DEI initiatives.

Unfortunately, while there was an 8 percent uptick in the number of businesses offering youth internships between 2018 and 2023, internships exclusively for high school students are rare. The 2024 report finds that, of available internships, only 5 percent apply solely to high school students; 32 percent include both college and high school students; and 23 percent only welcome college students.

Although almost one-third of businesses are very or somewhat likely to offer internships to high school students, the same amount said it is very unlikely they will create one. The top three barriers to managing such programs are determining work best suited for participants, attracting qualified interns, and scheduling around students' availability.