Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board launches internship toolkit for employers

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board launches internship toolkit for employers

Austin, Texas, July 18, 2019 — The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) introduces a toolkit for Texas employers to utilize in creating or upgrading internship programs. The toolkit is designed for two employer audiences. The first is for employers that do not have an existing internship program; the toolkit will serve as a primer on how to build new internship opportunities. The second is for employers that have existing internship programs to provide information about how those programs can help meet the goals of the state’s higher education plan, 60x30TX.

“Internships support two of the four 60x30TX goals: ensuring that students gain identified marketable skills and manage their student debt,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund A. Paredes. “Internships provide a bridge for students from education to the workforce, enabling students to explore in-demand industries and occupations as they make critical decisions about their futures. Internships not only provide important work and life experiences for students but also set them up for future workplace success.”

The employer internship toolkit dovetails with the Texas Internship Challenge, a statewide tri-agency campaign to increase and promote paid internships for students that was launched in 2017 by the THECB, Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), and Texas Education Agency (TEA). The toolkit was inspired by the University Partnerships Initiative: Building the College-to-Career Readiness Pipeline, sponsored by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) Foundation.

“This toolkit is designed to help employers reap the benefits of internships,” said USHCC President and CEO Ramiro Cavazos. “High quality internships are a key component of professional readiness. Research shows that students with one or more internships do significantly better in the post college job search than those without – and this effect is even more pronounced for minority students. Over the past two decades, I’ve seen firsthand that having an effective internship program is one of the very best ways to identify and nurture future talent and gain an advantage in the competitive talent market.”

The employer internship toolkit, along with the 2018 Career Readiness Handbook, will be part of the 2019 Texas Internship Challenge roundtable discussion and media conference hosted by TWC, THECB, and TEA on July 22 from 1:30-3 p.m. at Ascension Seton Eastside Auditorium located at 1345 Philomena St. in Austin. A media conference will kick off the event at 1:30 p.m. To RSVP contact Joe Shine at (512) 936-3345 or joe.shine@twc.state.tx.us.

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THECB Mission Statement
The mission of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is to provide leadership and coordination for the Texas higher education system and to promote access, affordability, quality, success, and cost efficiency through 60x30TX, resulting in a globally competitive workforce that positions Texas as an international leader.

 

• Employer internship toolkit media release FINAL.pdf