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Industry
Scholars Program

We support NYC high school students in advancing their post-secondary education and career aspirations through valuable work-based learning activities.

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For Employers

About Industry Scholars

Launched in 2016, the Industry Scholars Program (ISP) is comprised of a six-week, industry-specific summer and school year internships and a variety of career activities aimed at helping high school students (ages 16-18) apply their skills in authentic industry settings to gain real-world work experience. These opportunities are paid internships funded by New York City Public Schools.

ISP internships represent different fields of study, including:

  • Automotive & Transportation
  • Business & Finance
  • Construction & Sustainability
  • Culinary, Hospitality & Tourism
  • Engineering, Architecture & Robotics
  • Healthcare
  • Information Technology
  • Media & Design

Launched in 2016, the CTE Industry Scholars Program (ISP) supports CTE high school students in advancing their post-secondary education and career aspirations through valuable work-based learning activities. CTE ISP is comprised of a six-week, industry-specific summer and school year internships and a variety of career activities aimed at helping CTE students (ages 16-18) apply their skills in authentic industry settings, while also gaining real-world work experience. The internship experience provided to the students is a paid internship funded by the DOE.

CTE ISP internships represent CTE fields of study, including:

Automotive & Transportation

Business & Finance

Construction & Sustainability

Culinary, Hospitality & Tourism

Engineering, Architecture & Robotics

Healthcare

Information Technology

Media Technology & Design.

Overall Internship Outcomes

Since the Industry Scholars Program’s launch in 2016 (formerly CTE ISP), the program has provided high quality, industry aligned internships to 7,187 high school students in New York City. Each year the program continues to increase the scale of students served by consistently enhancing and refining the program model.

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Year 1 Internships
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Year 2 Internships
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Year 3 Internships
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Year 4
WBL Placements
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Year 5
WBL Placements
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Total Placements
Learn More About Our Impact
"We had never taken on high school interns before and didn’t quite know what to expect. We were blown away. Abdellah and Joeli presented to the whole company on their internship experience on their second to last day and my colleagues keep coming to me saying how impressed they were. We are so grateful to be part of this program and to have had the chance to work with some individuals with exciting futures ahead of them. We would most definitively like to stay involved the program."
- Bright Power
“It was such a pleasure to participate in your program. Your interns did a commendable job. The evaluation couldn’t capture all the great skills the interns demonstrated. They were self- directed, adaptable and dependable. They were both offered per diem work if their schedule allows. Count on us next summer!”
- 100 Hispanic Women
Thank you for providing this summer internship program for small business owners like myself. I have had an absolutely phenomenal experience with the interns who have dedicated their time and shared their skills and talents with us. They have not only taught us new things but also learned from us about the business and industry we are in. This mutual exchange of knowledge has been invaluable in helping me fill the gaps in my own understanding.
- Unique Expression By Design LLCCEO

Uplifting Students & Businesses

More than 1,800 businesses have engaged in the program to date providing meaningful career exploration for NYC high school students. This includes hosting career days and workplace tours, providing job shadowing opportunities and externships for teachers, conducting mock interviews and resume reviews for students, and hosting student interns specializing in their industry.

To support the needs of students where they live and learn, ISP welcomes the participation of small businesses. Approximately 81% of the employers that host ISP interns are small businesses with less than 100 employees, including recurring minority and woman owned businesses.  The average ISP employer hosts three to four interns providing structured, meaningful work experiences that align with the student’s career interests and contribute to business’ growth.

Learn More About Our Impact

Career Exploration & Work Readiness

More than 10,000+ students have been provided high quality work-based learning activities geared to an industry track. An average of 50-100 events have been organized annually serving students from the eight different industry sector

Here is a few different employers that have engaged in career exploration:

  • Blue Apron hosted a Kitchen Tour for culinary students

  • BNY Mellon held a Futures in Tech Career Day engaging more than 120 IT students in a hackathon and design sprint

  • Brooklyn Bridge Marriott hosted a job shadow for students specializing in hospitality

  • Cisco hosted a workplace tour for students pursuing IT careers

  • SIFMA Foundation hosted a Careers in Business event for 90 business & finance students

  • Twitter hosted a workplace tour for media, tech and design students

Learn More

For Students
For Employers