Your summer temps are leaving — Now what?

by Peter Katz, Genesys Works — Bay Area Executive Director
originally published on
LinkedIn

If you’re like most businesses, you’ve taken advantage of schools’ summer break to bring in students to do temporary work. It’s been great to have added headcount to help with special projects, lighten the workload, and give back to the community. It’s low cost, low risk, and high return — for the company and for the community.

But come September, they’ll be gone. And all that work will — once again — fall into your lap. And you’re too swamped (or budget constrained) to be looking for talent, right? Especially given all the considerations that face a modern workplace. According to Deloitte Trends 2017 and Bersin Predictions 2017, organizations are seeking an agile, younger, more diverse workforce that is able to adapt to the rapid pace of change. HR departments must be disruptive; the old practices are not optimized for the digital age.

So where to look? A compelling — and cost effective — way to get high performing, skilled help is through special internship programs that focus on the school year instead of just summer. Programs like Genesys Works join with companies to identify needs, train underserved high school youth in tech and business skills, and provide you with a diverse, high potential, and energized workforce prepared to work part-time during the school year.

Existing mangers will tell you they get more work done, handle longer-term projects, and reap the benefits of an employee who’s been through the initial learning curve. At Accenture, one intern “walked in and took every task by storm.” At ServiceNow, a young person on his second day took responsibility for managing inventory for a million dollars worth of incoming office furniture. And at SumoLogic, a student played a major role in direct mail campaigns that yielded over $500K in new revenue.

Equally important, these programs provide significant and meaningful impact in the community.

For example, a recent Columbia University study on Social Return on Investment (SROI) showed that for every $1 invested in the Genesys Works program, there is a return of $13.46 in leveraged resources, internship income, social gains and future earnings gains.

Yes, that’s 13X. The impact on the individual high school senior is just as powerful. As East Side Union School District Superintendent Chris Funk notes in a recent Mercury News article, this type of internship can fundamentally change an underserved student’s life. They will shine brightly when given true opportunity.

Low cost, low risk, high return — for the company and for the community. It’s not just for summer anymore.

There are still 10 Genesys Works young professionals still available for contract for a year-long internship beginning this fall. Sign up this week to gain skilled help on projects, further develop your management skills, and support underserved students on their path to professional success: bit.ly/GWintern. Learn more about our program at www.genesysworks.org/bayarea.

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