Gen Z Interns Can Do What AI Can't: How to Build a Pipeline

"Like many recent college graduates facing the highest unemployment rate in more than a decade, Leslie Quiroz-Pineda left the University of California at Berkeley with a degree but no job. She had the talent and the drive, but she needed experience. I hired Leslie for a multimedia internship at Making Waves Education Foundation, where she developed her portfolio and confidence. She was then hired as a full-time marketing manager at a tech startup."

"For Generation Z, chances like these are disappearing. Early-career job postings are down 15 percent, and AI is accelerating the loss of the entry-level work that's critical to starting a career. Those early tasks are where skills are actually built. Foundational work experiences might take the form of understanding strategy by editing documents, learning video editing on the job, or observing a mentor's skills in relationship-building or decision-making. Each step builds on the last."

"So how will the next generation prepare for their careers and make the jump to leadership roles if the first rungs of the career ladder disappear? And how can nonprofits and foundations adapt to keep talent pipelines - and social-impact work - intact? Hire interns for creative work. Hiring an intern comes at a lower overall cost than consultants or freelancers - and the return compounds over time."

"Take social media. I hired Giovanna Barragan, a social-change major at the University of Southern California, as a marketing intern. She brought communication skills, video-editing experience from school clubs, and deep knowledge of our program as a participant. Hiring an intern comes at a lower overall cost than consultants or freelancers - and the return compounds over time. Giovanna learned advanced video editing software on the job, took initiative to find storytelling trends relevant for our audiences, and quickly picked up on strategy."

Leslie Quiroz-Pineda left UC Berkeley with a degree but no job and needed experience. A multimedia internship at Making Waves Education Foundation helped her build a portfolio and confidence, leading to a full-time marketing manager role at a tech startup. For Gen Z, early-career postings are down and AI is accelerating the loss of entry-level work that builds skills. Foundational tasks such as editing documents, learning video editing, and observing mentorship in relationship-building and decision-making create step-by-step skill growth. Nonprofits and foundations can adapt by hiring interns for creative work, since internships cost less than consultants or freelancers and provide compounding returns over time. Giovanna Barragan was hired as a marketing intern, bringing communication skills, video-editing experience, and program knowledge, then learned advanced software and applied storytelling trends and strategy.

Read at Chronicle of Philanthropy