By JOSE HERRERA, City News Service
LOS ANGELES — As part of a summit focused on preparing students for the future, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on Tuesday, Oct. 10, called for the development of a statewide paid internship program to help teens and young adults work and learn about career pathways.
The two-day summit held at the California Department of Education headquarters in Sacramento and broadcast online is aimed at connecting partners such as school districts, workforce agencies, public housing agencies and government agencies, among others, to develop the internship program and help prevent youth from engaging in crime, according to Thurmond’s office.
The paid internship program will also be designed to connect participants with career advisers to “ensure they have a secure role in the global economy in the years ahead.”
During a news conference to begin the summit, Thurmond said there are thousands of students who are homeless across the state and many more who are on their own, stressing that students are in need of housing, mental health support and career advising.
“That’s what this summit is about — building together with partners from every sector,” Thurmond said. “We will be designing today for the next hour or two, a strategy for how to launch a statewide youth strategy for paid internships.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined the news conference virtually from L.A. City Hall. She noted that Los Angeles, like other California cities, have become expensive to live in.
Bass added that while for some individuals, who come from middle- and upper-class families that may support them, a long-term unpaid internship is feasible, but for the majority of young people, that’s not the reality.
“I have had interns with me for the last 20 to 30 years as I’ve done this type of work. There’s always been interns, but because I have focused on kids from challenging circumstances, we’ve always…
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