How Elevate+ Turns Workplace Experience into Career Readiness
When people think about internships, they usually think about the work students do each day.
I do too.
But I also think about everything that helps students make the most of that opportunity.
For many of the students who participate in Elevate+, this is their first professional experience. They are learning how to communicate with a manager, contribute to a team, build relationships, and navigate a workplace that can feel completely new. Those skills don't always develop on their own. They need to be introduced, practiced, and reinforced.
That belief has shaped how we've built the Elevate+ professional development program.
Over the past several months, we've stepped back and looked at every session as part of a larger learning pathway. We mapped our curriculum to the career readiness competencies identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), reviewed feedback from our host partners and interns, and evaluated where each session could have the greatest impact.
We also spent time thinking about when students need a particular skill. Learning about workplace communication before the first day has a different impact than learning it halfway through an internship. Reflection is more meaningful after students have experiences to build from. Even topics like AI have become an important part of preparing students for the workplace they're entering today.
The goal wasn't to build more workshops. It was to build a learning pathway that supports the internship experience from every angle. As interns build new skills throughout the summer, we also prepare and support the mentors guiding them. Through mentor training, mid-summer check-ins with both interns and mentors, and ongoing feedback, we're able to strengthen not only the learning experience but the internship itself.
We believe access is more than opening a door. Students also need the knowledge, confidence, and support to make the most of the opportunity once they're there.
This year, we're taking another step by asking students for feedback after every professional development session. We're also gathering more detailed feedback from our host partners and mentors to better understand what's working, where we can improve, and how the programming is supporting interns throughout the summer. Together with our end-of-program surveys, those insights will help shape future programming.
One of the things I appreciate most about this work is that it is never finished.
The workplace continues to change.
Our students continue to grow.
The skills employers value continue to evolve.
Our programming should continue to evolve with them.
Because an internship creates opportunity. Helping students build the knowledge, confidence, and skills to make the most of that opportunity is just as important.
Carolyn Parelli is the Chief Program Officer at Elevate+
