We have seen high school interns thrive in any corporate department, from Marketing to Tech, Legal, Tax, or Talent.

Often, interns undertake research projects that help their managers explore new areas. Others create social media content, adding their voice to the company’s channels. Interns can plan team events, analyze data, fix technical bugs, or conquer other small projects that add bandwidth to your team.  

Overall, high school interns bring enthusiasm, creativity, and a willingness to learn, making them a great asset to teams across the organization.

Interns’ supervisors typically invest about 3-4 hours per week mentoring and managing their interns. Interns and supervisors can be matched 1:1, 2:1, or 3:1 ratio.

The company’s dedicated point of contact who oversees the program typically spends an additional 3-5 hours per week on program management. This time commitment increases during intern onboarding (summer/fall) and decreases after interns are placed with their supervisors. 

Our employer partners typically pay the interns' wages and a small program fee to Prelude, which goes toward: 

• A year-long course for students to develop key professional skills (i.e., communication, time management, problem solving) 

• Program management, including training and resources for intern supervisors led by Prelude

• Impact evaluation and reporting

Our internships typically start in late summer or early fall and span the full academic year, ending in April or May.  Many corporate partners prefer to host the high school interns during the school year so it is offset from the college summer internship season. During an exploration conversation, we can discuss the best start date and program calendar for your company.  

This program benefits several stakeholders: 

• Students: Research shows that students who complete at least one internship in college earn an average of $20K more in their first full-time job than those who do not complete internships. Unfortunately, only 20% of Black college students and 29% of Latino college students complete an internship. By paving the way for students to prepare for college internships, your company is directly investing in students’ future earning power.  

• Employee Talent Development: Our partners have measured that team members that participate as an intern supervisor score higher on talent metrics such as engagement, retention, and promotion. 

• Employee Volunteerism: Interns interact with their supervisor + 10 or more additional teammates via coffee chats, career panels, and team meetings. Companies typically activate 100+ employee volunteer hours per intern. Many employees build authentic connections that often last beyond the internship.  

• Community Engagement: This program enhances your company’s connection to the community and advances social impact and brand perception goals.

We're excited about your interest in partnering with us. Please contact us so we can set up a time to connect.

If your company already has relationships with local schools, we can lead a collaborative design process to establish an internship program. If you are looking to establish new relationships, we can facilitate introductions with local high schools in your community.