What you could do with your summer

For those of you who associate summer with sand, surf and fun in the sun, others see it as a prime time to explore the world of work and gain valuable skills in an uncertain economy. Members of the newly created American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Internship Program at UC Berkeley are glad that they traded their swimsuits for briefcases.

This pilot program is the first of its kind at an American university. It represents a collaboration between the State Department of Rehabilitation (DOR), and the UC Berkeley Disabled Students’ Program. The program is funded using federal stimulus funds under the ARRA. The mission of the program is to place UC Berkeley students and alumni with disabilities into paid internships in a variety of fields.

Program membership includes a broad range of students from various majors, including the biological, environmental and physical sciences, IT, media and the social sciences. Working with the DOR, the ARRA Program helps broker internships adapted to client schedules while still meeting employer needs. Employment sites, length of internships and work times are all customized to fit each student's individual needs and circumstances. Program participants are shepherded through the placement process, from initial assistance with resume and cover letter editing to job interview coaching.

There are several incentives for employers to participate in the program. Aside from having highly sought after UCB students as interns, employers enjoy substantial federal and state tax incentives for hiring students with disabilities. In addition, the ARRA program reimburses employers for intern training costs, for provision of workplace accommodations, and it provides program follow-along services to help ensure student-worker success. 

The need for such a program for students with disabilities has been long overdue. According to Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS), the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities is approximately 33%; whereas for the general population it’s near 80%. As such, the ARRA program aims to address such disparities in employment rates for people with disabilities by ensuring that program participants gain the necessary skills and experience to be immediately employable following graduation. 

Members of the program have been effusive in their praise for the opportunity the program has given them to pursue careers of interest and to develop valuable workplace skills. In relaying the benefit that her summer internship has had for her future career development, (Jane Smith) states, “I am very happy with my current internship, and excited about the skills I am gaining. My internship is focused in the areas of non-profit management and fundraising and development. These skills are invaluable towards my ability to work at higher levels at non-profits in the future. I am primarily assisting in writing grants for the organization’s education program, which aligns with my interest in youth and education. Overall, the opportunity to participate in the ARRA Internship Program has been extremely beneficial. I feel that I am gaining relevant, practical, and meaningful skills that I am inspired about. In addition, I am making connections to the community organization I am working with which will help with future employment, and graduate school applications."

Another program member relates, "I am honored to say that with the help of the program, I was hired as an Assistant Project Manager at a local architectural firm. Working with a company of great prestige, I know that I will learn a lot of valuable lessons that I could definitely apply to my own aspirations. Joining this program has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life and I would definitely promote and encourage other students to do the same.”

As of July 2010, the program has been enormously successful, placing 20 program participants into paid internship placements in fields ranging from biology and law to architecture and disability advocacy.  These placements serve not only to give real world work experience to interns, but also serve as a wonderful vehicle to improve marketable skills and to ensure that students with disabilities remain competitive with their non-disabled peers. The internships also serve as critical networking opportunities which can be especially valuable after graduation.

If you know of an opportunity or organization that could employ one of our high caliber UC Berkeley students, please get in touch with the Program Assistant Patrick Civello at 510-642-7942 or Civello@berkeley.edu.  Conversely, if you know of a UC Berkeley student or recent alumni who could benefit from targeted work experience, please send them our way.