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Journey Stories

Increase the number of youth in the high school internship program, shifting the narrative so that employers recognize their value

Narrative
Landscape
Mapping the Narrative Landscape

When Urban Alliance audited media about internships, it found student voices and images missing. Interns are assumed to be in college, and the focus is on how they benefit, rather than employers. 

Employers

Mindset
Understanding Audience Mindset

Through interviews, Urban Alliance learned employers view internships more as charitable than strategic. They raised concerns about how long it takes to supervise a high school intern; employers value nonprofit partners that train and prepare interns.

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Persuasion
Testing Persuasive Messages

Urban Alliance interviewed HR professionals at companies not yet hiring high school interns, to learn how persuasive sample pitch materials and video testimonials were if they emphasized how internships benefit high school students as well as employers. The results were positive.

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Action
Putting Messaging Into Action

Urban Alliance incorporated the insights into outreach collateral for potential new job partners. Field-testing the updated materials, they recognized the need to collect quotes from employers who can speak to their peers about the benefits of internships for young people, employers, and society.

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Creating
Change
Creating Change

When potential employer partners hear directly from students and other employers about the benefits of high school internships, it makes a difference. Urban Alliance hopes to continue field-testing messages and incorporating audience insights into their organizational communication.

Creating Change
Creating Change

When potential employer partners hear directly from students and other employers about the benefits of high school internships, it makes a difference. Urban Alliance hopes to continue field-testing messages and incorporating audience insights into their organizational communication.

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What is the audience's mindset?

Key Takeaway

Through interviews, Urban Alliance learned employers view internships more as charitable than strategic. They raised concerns about how long it takes to supervise a high school intern; employers value nonprofit partners that train and prepare interns.

An icon to identify the Mindset step of messaging.
Insights
  • Employers view internships primarily as charitable and secondarily as strategic to their business
  • Time as a resource is an important factor for employers as they weigh internships
  • Employers value non-profit partners that train and prepare interns
  • Employers recognize developmental differences between students in high school and college, while also valuing previous work experience
  • Stories about student interns' skills and career interests were an effective form of persuasion communication
For Example:
Employers view internships primarily as charitable and secondarily as strategic to their business
In Their Own Words
“The benefits are that you're helping a young person that may otherwise not have the opportunity to enter a really successful career path such as property management. And then on the other side, you are really giving your company an opportunity to give your current employees an opportunity to do something good and make them feel good.”
Employer, Washington, DC
For Example:
Time as a resource is an important factor for employers as they weigh internships
In Their Own Words
“It's a great experience to have the students come, that they can contribute a lot. But that, it also requires a certain amount of your time that you need to invest in it. And and there are great rewards from investing that time, but you have to be willing to do it."
Employer, Washington, DC

What messages are most persuasive to the target audience?

Key Takeaway

Urban Alliance interviewed HR professionals at companies not yet hiring high school interns, to learn how persuasive sample pitch materials and video testimonials were if they emphasized how internships benefit high school students as well as employers. The results were positive.

An icon to identify the Persuasion step of messaging.
Narrative Framework
Hypothesis Revisions Final
Connection

To be successful, employers need to hire qualified and talented employees. 
Many employers also care about giving back to their communities. 

 

To be successful, Employers need to hire care about investing in their talent pipeline and hiring qualified and talented employees who can help the company succeed. 

Many employers also care about giving back to their communities.

 

Employers care about investing in their talent pipeline and hiring employees who can help the company succeed. 

Problem

For many employers, internships are a potential strategy for developing a diverse, early talent pipeline while also providing young people in our community with valuable work experience. 
The challenge is that it can take a lot of time to mentor young people without previous work experience.

 

For many employers, internships are an increasingly useful potential strategy for developing a diverse, early talent pipeline while also providing young people in our community with valuable real-world work experience. 

The challenge is that it can take a lot of time to train high school students mentor young people without previous work experience. 

 

For many employers, internships are an increasingly useful strategy for developing a diverse, early talent pipeline while also providing young people with valuable real-world experience. 

The challenge is that it can take a lot of time to train high school students without previous work experience.

Solution

Employers are increasingly incorporating work-based learning, such as internships, into their talent strategy while getting more support from nonprofits and schools to prepare young people for these early career opportunities. 

Employers find it’s worth the time to invest in internships because they build loyalty, interest, and professional skills in young people that could pay off in a few years for your company.

Employers are increasingly incorporating work-based learning, such as internships, into their talent strategy.  while getting more 

With support from nonprofits and schools that  to prepare young people for these early career opportunities, employers find it’s worth the time and investment to take a chance on invest in high school interns. hips because they These internships help businesses get work done and build loyalty, interest, and professional skills in young people that could pay off in a few years for the employer your company.

With support from nonprofits and schools that prepare young people for these early career opportunities, employers find it’s worth the time and investment to take a chance on high school interns. These internships help businesses get work done and build loyalty and professional skills in young people that could pay off in a few years for the employer.

Vision

Both employers and young people will benefit. Employers meet their needs to develop a diverse talent pool. Young people gain valuable work experience that helps them explore and pursue careers in their future.

Internships with high school students High school internships benefit both employers and young people will benefit. Employers meet their needs to develop a diverse talent pool. Young people gain valuable real-world work experience that helps them explore and pursue careers in their future.

 

Internships with high school students benefit both employers and young people. Employers meet their needs to develop a diverse talent pool. Young people gain valuable real-world work experience that helps them explore and pursue careers in their future.

Insights
  • HR professionals are motivated by supporting people's development, and open to doing so with high school students 
  • HR professionals' support for high school internships is inhibited by their beliefs about high school-age students' maturity, motivation to work, and skills
  • HR professionals' concerns can be managed by showing how nonprofit partner fill in skills gaps and sharing employers' stories about their perspective changing
  • HR professionals are motivated by impact data on the benefits of high school internships to young people and employers' bottom line and talent strategy
  • HR professionals value stories of transformation and impact, not just program testimonials
  • HR professionals value hearing from both young people and employers as validators of high school internship programs
For Example:
HR professionals' support for high school internships is inhibited by their beliefs about high school-age students' maturity, motivation to work, and skills
In Their Own Words
“The more I'd know about what Urban Alliance is doing on their end that would maybe allay some of the concerns I would have in making sure that this young person or these young people that we're opening the door to, that they have the experience that we want them to have so that they're enhanced.”
HR professional, Washington, DC
"You forget that part of this is especially, you know, this probably is my bias that's coming out, but a lot of people haven't had jobs. So also teaching them how to be prepared to work in a workforce: putting your phone down, showing up to work on time, you know, those are the types of things that if you're going to take on an interning kind of position, you also have to be prepared. It's not just about the work you're teaching them, but sometimes it's teaching them, kind of, life skills in general.”
HR professional, Washington, DC
For Example:
HR professionals are motivated by impact data on the benefits of high school internships to young people and employers' bottom line and talent strategy
In Their Own Words
“I think internships are so valuable for employers, but I think they have to understand that value, and they have to know what their outcomes are. What are your outcomes when you're creating an internship program? It can't be just because I want some, you know, inexpensive labor, right? Like, that cannot be the reason. It has to be, it can be a diversity initiative. It can be a talent pool, you know, another source for sourcing talent, which is in serious competition these days. And it can be just a way to give back to your community, right? To allow an intern to come in and gain some skills, and even if they take it elsewhere, right? You still have poured back into the community into this individual.”


HR professional, Washington, DC
“I mean, the bottom line is, as altruistic as people want to be and businesses want to be, it's still a business. And I think that knowing that you're going in and protecting your business and developing it through this program is something that's hugely important…And soI'm good with really both of those particular statements because I think it touches both the heartstring portion, you know, what you want to do for others, and then really being able to do the business part. “
HR professional, Washington, DC

How were the messages put into action?

Key Takeaway

Urban Alliance incorporated the insights into outreach collateral for potential new job partners. Field-testing the updated materials, they recognized the need to collect quotes from employers who can speak to their peers about the benefits of internships for young people, employers, and society.

An icon to identify the Action step of messaging.
Impact

Using their audience research insights, Urban Alliance conducted A/B testing of email subject lines with employer partners, funders and staff. Urban Alliance staff teams were trained on: insights about narrative change, findings from employer research interviews, and new messaging and collateral to use with prospective employer partners. 

 

Insights
  • Action-oriented email subject lines generated more engagement
  • Audience research with employers has focused and streamlined Urban Alliance outreach and pitch materials to prioritize what is most meaningful and persuasive: employer testimonials, the voices of students, and demonstration of impact
  • Evaluating employer experiences requires ongoing engagement and staff time — and is a worthwhile investment to demonstrate the strategic value that employers see in partnerships with Urban Alliance
     
     
For Example:
Evaluating employer experiences requires ongoing engagement and staff time — and is a worthwhile investment to demonstrate the strategic value that employers see in partnerships with Urban Alliance
In Their Own Words
“Our people set us apart. It is important to invest in young people as essential stakeholders in our continued success. Their success wherever they go after [company name] is our success. We all have had someone invest in us for us to be where we are today. To stop investing in young people is to jeopardize the future of our entire society.”
Employer partner, Washington, DC