Internships can help high school students find a path to a good career while also developing workforce-ready talent for local employers. To help meet this demand, Genesys Works is bringing its high school internship model to Nashville this summer.
Nashville will be the ninth U.S. market for the nonprofit, which creates paid internship opportunities for students in underserved communities. In November, a first cohort of students began their year-long internships in Jacksonville, the most recent city added by Genesys Works.
“Businesses need to offer early real‑world exposure that helps young people discover their strengths sooner—especially in fast‑growing STEM and vocational fields where hands-on experience matters most,” says Karl Sprules, the Nashville-based COO at AllianceBernstein, a large investment firm and one of 245+ corporate partners of Genesys Works.
The first step for participating students is 160 hours of summer instruction, which includes a mix of durable and technical skills. Then, during 12th grade, interns work 20 hours per week, earning an average of $14 per hour. They are placed in entry-level roles across IT, operations, HR, marketing, and finance. Genesys Works is the employer of record, handling logistics, training, and support for interns.
Many employers now want workers with one to three years of experience for entry-level jobs, says Byron Garrett, who took the helm in October as the group’s CEO. Likewise, the tsunami of AI-generated résumés makes a job referral even more important.
“It’s not just about learning the technical skills and doing a great job at your internship in high school,” Garrett says. “It’s about making connections that can help you get other internships through college and then a full-time job offer.”
Genesys Works provides college and career coaching to students during their internships, including help with applications and certification training. The nonprofit also supports its 14K+ alumni.
While the internships typically have been focused on IT roles, Genesys Works is diversifying the industries covered, with an increasing focus on healthcare among the customized offerings across its nine markets, including the Nashville program.
“In Tulsa, we have interns at a hospital who are sterilizing instruments for surgeries and learning which sets belong to which surgeries,” says Garrett. “In Jacksonville, we have interns at the Mayo Clinic.”
Genesys Works has incorporated AI into its training. Garrett says many high schools don’t encourage their students to experiment with AI, while employers say they want workers to use the tech.
“We’re bridging that disconnect, providing a foundation for how to think about and use AI in a professional setting that they can then build on once they get to the office,” says Garrett. “Being able to learn on the job in the first few months and then go on to do meaningful, productive work for the rest of the year is a major reason why employers partner with us.”
The group’s results are impressive, with 90% of its graduates enrolling in college. With a median wage of $70K seven years after completion, two-thirds of alumni outearn at least one parent.
Genesys Works is backed by a mix of philanthropic support and corporate revenue. Garrett says AI and the shifting economy are driving urgency among employer partners. Many recognize that if they want midlevel and senior workers, they need to invest in entry-level employees who are eager to gain skills and comfortable with new tools and technologies.
Sprules is optimistic that Genesys Works’ high school internship model can continue to expand. “By aligning student development with real employer needs, it creates lasting value and can be replicated across regions without losing impact.”