Internships for Youth in Urban Communities
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Poverty continues to plague the Black community in urban areas throughout the United States of America. Black youth suffer from unemployment disproportionately to all other racial groups. “The experience of young men of color with obtaining employment and quality jobs has been negatively influenced by many factors, including persistent discrimination, the hiring practices of employers, geographic and social isolation, substandard secondary education, lack of career and postsecondary educational guidance, inadequate career and technical education, and higher incarceration rates.” (Spaulding et. al., 2015).
This problem of unemployment among Black Youth has not been a priority of both the Democratic and Republican Parties; as a result, there has not been any meaningful public policies aimed at solving this problem. The solution can include the following groups: educational institutions, non-profits, government, and businesses. (Spaulding, et. al., 2015) Many colleges and universities offer internships for students enrolled in their institutions.
The vast number of jobs created in the nation is created by private businesses (Hossain et. al., 2015). There is a sense of apathy and hopelessness among the elders in the Black community as a result of relying on Whites and the government to solve all the problems of the Black community. In the spirit of self-reliance and self-determination, members of the Black Business Community must address the problem of unemployment of Black youth by offering internships. Educated youth can contribute to Black businesses by utilizing skills and technical knowledge such as computer software gained from formal education. The intern salary can be concededly lower than an experienced older employee, which is a reduction of labor cost for the employer. Internships benefit the intern by allowing them to develop job skills, gain relevant work experience, enhance their resumes, and acquire professional references (Mohlamme, 2019).
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John Muhammad, President/Owner of Nation’s Builders, Host of the Business Building Blocks Podcast, Graduate Student of the University of Texas at El Paso majoring in Construction Management M.S., B.S Degree from Texas Southern University, former Site Health and Safety Specialist for the renovation of the Administration Building of the Johnson Space Center at NASA and former Superintendent for semi-custom home builder, Emerald Homes.
References
Spaulding, S., Lerman, R. I., Holzer, H. J., & amp; Eyster, L. (2015). Expanding economic
opportunity for young men and boys of color through employment and training (p. 2).
Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
Hossain, F., & amp; Bloom, D. (2015). Toward a Better Future: Evidence on Improving Employment Outcomes for Disadvantaged Youth in the United States. MDRC.
Mohlamme, L. J. (2019). Perceptions of Learnerships and Internships as Tools for Skills
Development of Youths in the Sedibeng District Municipality, Gauteng. University of
Johannesburg (South Africa).