This summer, nearly 60 Breakthrough college students were matched with paid internships at dozens of Austin-area companies. Students learned about business, explored potential career paths, and began building their professional networks. We are especially grateful to SolarWinds for hosting our End-of-Summer Presentations event, and to our founding internship program partner Accenture who has consistently taken the lead on training and placing the most interns through their nationally recognized Skills to Succeed Program. This year, Accenture’s Austin office hosted the second largest S2S program in the nation.
Future Focus, a collaborative program of Breakthrough and KIPP through College, arranges full-time, paid, professional internships for first-generation college students from low-income communities. Students are placed at local companies such as SolarWinds, Accenture, Kendra Scott and Whole Foods.
“People are our greatest source of competitive advantage. That’s why Accenture remains committed to developing the next generation of talent, and we are proud to continue our collaboration with Breakthrough Central Texas and the Future Focus Summer Internship Program. At Accenture, we strongly believe that internship programs – particularly at the local level – are critical to igniting greater interest in technology and ultimately building a pipeline to help address the skills gap in our state and nation. Our interns, including Breakthrough students, gain on-the-job training while helping our clients continue to grow, compete and transform in today’s digital economy.”
Helen Haman, Health & Public Service SW Program Manager at Accenture
First-generation college students from low-income communities often lack a personal network to land that perfect internship and cannot afford to accept unpaid positions. This unique program provides students with the foundation for a successful career after college graduation and helps build Austin’s long-term economic growth and stability. This summer, nearly 60 Breakthrough students participated in Future Focus. Students learned about business, explored potential career paths, and began building their professional networks.
“Listening to the students’ stories and learning more about their experiences during the internships is inspiring. The opportunity to experience real-world working environments can be so valuable as this next generation of employees and leaders begin considering their future plans and goals. It’s been an honor for us to serve these past five years as advisors and provide support for young people who might have otherwise been overlooked.”
Tiffany Nels, Chief Communications Officer, SolarWinds
Since its inception in 2011, the Future Focus program has placed nearly 400 interns at more than 100 Austin companies. We are currently recruiting 2019 intern host companies. Learn more about how your company can open doors for first-generation college students and Austin’s future leaders!