NORTH ADAMS, Mass. —Lever’s Berkshire Interns program is currently working with local employers to promote internship opportunities at BerkshireInterns.org.

 

Lever is offering to subsidize the cost of stipends for interns from under-represented groups.

 

The $1500 stipend subsidy is available to help employers hire an intern from Lever’s Inclusive Internship Preparation Program (I2P2), which offers job and internship application help to college students from populations under-represented in the Berkshire workforce. More than 20 students are participating in the 2022 I2P2 program.

 

"We know that job opportunities often come from social networks and personal connections.  Students from underrepresented groups may lack access to career connections in Berkshire County and may miss out on opportunities where they would excel," said Jade Schnauber, Lever’s workforce programs manager. "We created I2P2 so BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ students could find local mentors and move closer to their career goals, starting in the Berkshires. We need to inspire young people to stay in the area, and we need new voices and perspectives to help drive innovation in the region." 

 

Lever’s BI program lists internships, markets them to 150 colleges, and collects resumes for employers to review, free of charge. To date, it has helped fill 98 internships at 27 Berkshire companies. 

 

"Many smaller Berkshire companies do not have the resources to recruit summer interns and pay them minimum wage for ten weeks of work," Jade said. "We want to broaden the opportunities students have while streamlining this process for local businesses." 

 

One recent I2P2 alumnus, Carlos Vizcardo Benites, was hired as a marketing and engagement intern at the Berkshire Museum. Lever contributed $1,500 to the Museum toward Carlos’s stipend, supported by gifts from the Gilson Family Foundation and MountainOne. 

 

For more information visit www.berkshireinterns.org or email info@berkshireinterns.org.