It is time for the business community to respond to that eagerness and help these students realize the exciting futures they want - and deserve. Never before has there been such a glaring need in Philadelphia to connect the city's youths with the vibrant economy that surrounds them.
We can begin this work by opening the doors of the region's businesses - from the large corporations to the smaller companies. That is why, as part of our Working Solutions initiative, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce is encouraging businesses to provide 1,000 paid internships this summer for Philadelphia youths. So far, companies have agreed to provide more than 700.
The six-week internship program, from July through mid-August, costs employers $1,600. It is administered by the Philadelphia Youth Network, which screens and prequalifies interns and arranges for employer interviews before a student is hired.
We're confident that employers will join our efforts and provide 300 more jobs, especially when we tell them about the types of talented and capable interns they will be hiring - interns such as Grant Williams. Williams, a senior at Bok Vocational Technical High School, got a paid internship escorting patients to and from the imaging areas in the radiology department at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Radiology wasn't Williams' first choice, but he quickly learned how valuable that department is to the hospital. He was surprised by how much he enjoyed working in health care. Now he thinks he might like to become a physical therapist someday.
