Giving Compass' Take:

• Companies are now offering creative internships that are remote or virtual-based so that adult learners can have the flexibility they need to pursue career opportunities. 

• How can donors help employers expand the flexible internship model? 

• Learn about promise programs for adult learners. 

By one estimate, more than 23,000 students graduated from coding bootcamps in 2019—up nearly 50 percent from the previous year. But how quickly they will land a job is unclear. Concerns over lack of experience is the top reason deterring employers from hiring a bootcamp graduate, according to a 2019 report from Hired, an online marketplace for tech jobs.

Internships have long aimed to fill this “experience gap” for college students, allowing them to get their foot in the door with prospective employers and gain relevant experience for their resumes. Yet the models that work for twenty-something students often do not suit the realities of working adults who now make up 39 percent of the higher education market. They cannot put their life on hold—especially for in-person internships that are unpaid (which is also problematic in perpetuating privilege and class inequality).

While online education has helped make postsecondary credentials more attainable for a large segment of the U.S. population, the next horizon is expanding access to entry-level opportunities, particularly in technical fields. This will require new, flexible models that work for people juggling day jobs and personal life responsibilities.

Several new companies are offering creative models of virtual internships, remote apprenticeships, and employer-sponsored projects that students can complete from home on their own schedule. These models allow students to gain experience working for employers from the comfort of their own home or in between shifts at other jobs.

There’s one hurdle before these models can scale: few of the virtual internships are currently paid gigs. And while they should impose fewer opportunity costs necessary to cover things like childcare, transportation or lost wages at a day job in-person internship programs often impose, it will be critical for these providers to find ways to compensate students for online work.

Read the full article about internships for adult learners by Amy Ahearn at EdSurge.