AT&T, with non-profit Year Up, is opening the door to internships across the U.S., including in Miami, for opportunity youth, defined as talented young adults seeking work who are underemployed or unemployed.
Nationally, there are an estimated 5 million young adults disconnected from stable career pathways and 12 million jobs requiring postsecondary education that will go unfilled in the next decade, according to Year Up.
To continue building a diverse and strong workforce, AT&T is tapping into that pipeline by committing to host 200 interns annually through Year Up by 2022.
Year Up works to close the opportunity divide by providing young adults with the skills and experience top companies seek. The organization guides participants through a year-long program where they spend six months in the classroom and six months interning with a corporation. This combination prepares participants to be competitive in a quickly evolving workforce and positions them on a path to success.
In 2016, AT&T contributed $1 million to launch a Year Up campus in Dallas, and in 2018 hosted interns at Year Up sites in Atlanta, Dallas and Miami. AT&T is expanding with additional interns in 2019 to four more cities, including Sunrise in Browarxd County.
Interns will work in a variety of positions, including retail, customer care, finance and external affairs. The expansion is part of the AT&T Aspire initiative, which provides access to education and training people need to get and keep good jobs.
“AT&T’s collaboration with Year Up is a clear sign of a broader commitment to inclusive hiring practices and transforming the workforce to create meaningful career pathways for all people,” said Gerald Chertavian, Year Up founder and CEO. “I applaud their leadership in serving overlooked communities that help them gain the necessary skills and opportunities to drive change in communities and growth in their companies.”
One of those talented young adults is Julio Fumero, who completed his Year Up internship with AT&T in Miami in 2014. After demonstrating a remarkable work ethic and strong performance, he was hired as a full-time employee and plans to stay for the long-term, saying he wants to retire from the company.
“Without Year Up, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Fumero said. “The program taught me valuable skills that have helped me grow at AT&T – time management, writing skills, and teamwork. I feel like I’m finally on a path of success.”
