Summer Tech Internships Continue Virtually, With Focus on Diversity

Jessica Zimmer June 29, 2021June 28, 2021 diversity in tech, IMB, Jamila Reeves, Kelli Jordan, New York, New York City, New York City Wired, Summer Internships, Virtual internships

Tech companies are continuing to offer summer internships in 2021, with assignments and interactions remaining virtual for the second year in a row. Working remotely is training students and managers more about how to connect online. Many tech companies are working to increase racial and ethnic diversity in their 2021 intern class.

Jamila Reeves, leader of corporate communications for Facebook’s New York office, said Facebook leaned heavily on its platforms, including FB groups, Workplace, and WhatsApp, to ensure employees stayed connected.

“We (also) organized interns into squads to create build-in support networks (and) organized intern circles led by our Employee Resource Group Leaders. (We) created a community connections program where our interns could virtually volunteer with non-profits across the globe during their time with us,” said Reeves.

Reeves said during the pandemic, it has felt as if users have been relying on Facebook’s products to a greater extent.

“Our interns played a pivotal role in developing and maintaining our products to enable those connections at such a critical time,” said Reeves.

Kelli Jordan, director of IBM Career and Skills, said IBM is also offering only virtual internships for the second year in a row.

“We have approximately 3,000 summer interns in 2021, with 1,000 of these being Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) interns. We have hundreds of IBM interns based in New York City this year,” said Jordan.

P-TECH schools are identified as high schools that allow students to earn a high school diploma, an industry-recognized associate degree, and obtain work experience relevant to their field. P-TECH schools have college, government, and industry partners. IBM is one of 600 industry partners for the P-TECH program.

Jordan said all of its summer interns are paid. The focuses of P-TECH work may include cloud computing, cybersecurity, and marketing.

“We provide every IBM employee, including interns, with an IBM laptop. We also offer learning before the actual hire. These workshops explain how to set up tools and IBM’s purpose as a company,” said Jordan.

Once IBM has students start summer internships, it invites them to a variety of different online events. One social experience is a weekly online “coffee chat” with full-time IBM employees every week.

IBM also offers a free training program called IBM Accelerate to undergraduates who will graduate between December 2022 and June 2024. This program prepares students to apply for tech internships.

“In this program, a student is matched with an IBM mentor and interacts with them through an 8-week live interactive program. At the end of the internship, the student receives a digital credential in their project area, such as software development or sales,” said Jordan.

Jordan said both the P-TECH and Accelerate programs open the door for diverse students from various ethnic and racial backgrounds to be considered for full-time jobs after graduation.

“This year, we’ve increased invitations and virtual events that encourage candidates of color to apply. We’ve put out many calls through social media. We also rely on IBM’s brand recognition and our strong partnerships with student organizations at colleges and universities,” said Jordan.

Jordan added that in 2020, IBM started producing an internal radio show as another way to create community among virtual interns.

“It’s broadcast weekly on IBM’s radio network and rotates to have different guests throughout the summer. This show and interns sharing their experiences through social media, like a picture of them on their first day or them with their IBM swag bag, are touchpoints. We’re working to develop more ways to allow ongoing contact between interns,” said Jordan.