Op-ed: To build a stronger middle class, boost paid internships for CUNY students

Written by Jonathan Bowles and Winston Fisher, published on Jan, 24th 2024 in Crain’s New York Business

Jonathan Bowles is the executive director of the Center for an Urban Future. Winston Fisher is a partner at Fisher Brothers and CEO of Area15.
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Amid shorter days and colder temperatures, it may feel like summer is a long way off. But this is also the season in which thousands of employers across the city figure out their plans for summer internships.

This year, New York City leaders should pull out all the stops to ensure that far more of those internships go to students at the City University of New York.

Most CUNY students come from families that earn less than $30,000 annually, and paid internships could help students channel their degrees into career opportunities and get on the path to the middle class. However, only 10% of CUNY students report having a paid internship during their time in college. As a result, too many end up unemployed or underemployed after graduation, limiting the effectiveness of CUNY as an engine of economic mobility.

Fortunately, there’s a growing appetite among employers across the city to find ways to bring CUNY students on board. Our organizations have made it a priority to recruit from CUNY in recent years, and programs like Basta, CUNY Career Launch, Futures in Finance, Break Through Tech and the Tech Talent Pipeline Residency are finding success.

Now is the time to rally far more of the city’s employers to recruit from CUNY for their internship programs — and make it much easier for companies to do so.

BASTA’S Mission is to close the employment gap for first-generation students of color and change the face of workforce leadership.

Click here to learn more about Basta and our partnerships.