CUNY City Tech | Photo by Kidfly182 via Wikimedia Commons
NEW YORK – Through the Spring Forward, a $4 million state-funded program, students will earn $20 an hour at no cost to the employer. Employers are encouraged to hire 600 qualified City University of New York (CUNY) students in small businesses, tech start-ups, non-profits, corporations, and government agencies this spring semester.
“With access to quality and affordable higher education and employment opportunities, CUNY students have the chance to climb the ladder of success and help build a better New York for future generations,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “The Spring Forward program is not only helping students earn valuable career experience, but also helping local employers connect with top-tier talent, underscoring our commitment to supporting students so they can earn their degree and enter into a rewarding career.”
CUNY partnered with businesses, agencies, and organizations that need the talent to support projects in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), environmental preservation, community services, healthcare, and marketing. Spring Forward internships began in February and run for ten weeks, including training. State funding was included in the FY23 academic year.
The City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said, “80 percent of CUNY students stay in New York, helping businesses and non-profit employers to innovate, reach new markets, and thrive. We thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to expanding these critical industry partnerships so more businesses and organizations can see firsthand what CUNY students can do.”
Businesses with fewer than 100 employees looking to hire full-time talent immediately can also apply to CUNY’s Internship to Employment (I2E) program, which connects recent CUNY alumni and imminent grads to 6-week internships followed by eight weeks of subsidized employment at host companies that choose to take on their interns. Interested employers can sign up to learn more at the I2E website.
Assemblymember Patricia Fahy noted that, on average, 60% of employers prefer to hire graduates and workers with internship experience, which translate into real-world career experience and readiness that helps to leverage better pay, benefits, and economic empowerment post-college.
“Paid internships are more likely to translate into job offers, and connecting employers with new generations of skill workers is a win-win for our success of New York’s students and future workforce,” said Fahy.
The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nation’s first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges, and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York City’s five boroughs, serving over 260,000 undergraduate and graduate students and awarding 55,000 degrees each year.
CUNY’s mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the University’s graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the city’s economic, civic, and cultural life and diversifying the city’s workforce in every sector.
CUNY’s graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur “Genius” Grants. The University’s historic mission continues today: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background.
–With Jay Domingo/PDM
