Internship programs are a vital piece of our workforce development system, allowing businesses to recruit emerging talent, gain fresh perspective and have an extra hand to assist with projects their teams might otherwise not have time for.
Workforce Southwest Washington (WSW) is thrilled to announce that we have grant funding to subsidize hosting a Future Leaders Project (FLP) intern for a limited number of organizations. Thanks to the generous support of the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, priority will be given to nonprofit organizations and businesses owned by BIPOC individuals, women, veterans and LGBTQ+ individuals.
FLP is an initiative of Workforce Southwest Washington (WSW), Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC) and Washington State University Vancouver (WSU Vancouver) that seeks to connect students from communities that have experienced longstanding inequities and exclusion and first-generation college students with employer-sponsored summer internships, providing growth and professional development opportunities.
“WSW is grateful to have received another Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) focused grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation. The funding we received in 2023, provided 13 nonprofit organizations and BIPOC owned, Woman owned, LGBTQ+ owned, and Veteran owned businesses with the opportunity to host Future Leaders Interns during Summer 2024,” said Nolan Yaws-Gonzalez, Associate Director of Programs, who oversees WSW’s investment in the FLP. “It is so exciting to see the impact these internships have on both the employer host sites and the Future Leaders Interns they host – it truly ends up being a win-win experience where businesses report they have increased capacity to tackle projects and student interns have the opportunity to gain real-world experience while expanding their networks and developing new skills!”
In 2024, grants from WSW funded internships at the Association of Science Communicators, Building Futures Foundation, Clark County Food Bank, Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), Educational Opportunities for Children and Families, Fourth Plain Forward, Greater Vancouver Chamber, Hello Life Eating Disorder Recovery Services, Nut-Tritious Foods, Partners in Careers, PointNorth, and Southwest Washington Contractors Association (SWCA). This year, WSW received $100,000 from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation that will be used to fund approximately 18 internships in Clark and Cowlitz counties.
FLP offers many benefits to host businesses. Interns bring new ideas and perspectives, and support for projects that employees otherwise might not have the time to complete.
“Our Future Leaders Interns were instrumental in so much. They supported our youth construction events and helped our marketing specialist revamp our logo and website design. It was a privilege to have two Future Leaders Interns!” said Sherrie Jones, Executive Director of Southwest Washington Contractors Association.
Other benefits FLP provides are a proven, cost-effective way to recruit and evaluate potential permanent employees and opportunities for staff to gain supervisory skills through mentoring and managing interns.
Interns also can boost the visibility of their host organization on campus and with their peers and family members. Participation enables organizations to promote community involvement and demonstrate their commitment to investing in the career development and growth of our community’s future workforce.
“Our Future Leaders interns have helped us do work that we may not have been able to do otherwise. We are very grateful to be part of the Future Leaders Project,” said Marlene Ashworth, Leadership Development Manager at the Clark County Food Bank.
Applications are now open for summer 2025 grant funding!
Applications are due by November 1, 2024, at 5 p.m.
The FLP team will be reviewing and scoring applications in early December.
Businesses interested in learning more about FLP and hiring interns, please contact our Associate Director of Programs Nolan Yaws-Gonzalez at nyaws-gonzalez@workforcesw.org or 360.567.1066.
WSU Vancouver students should contact Bill Stahley, WSU Vancouver Employer Engagement Coordinator at bstahley@wsu.edu or 360.546.9273.
The PY24 Future Leaders is supported by $206,682 (65% of total) U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration federal funding and $109,947 (35% of total) non-federal funding from the J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation.
