Summer internships are a rite of passage for college students.
But they’re also an opportunity for students to gain real-life work experience and for companies to help create a talent pipeline for college kids.
For Andre Hammons, a UNLV student studying computer science, his summer internship turned into the ultimate dream: a full-time job offer.
“For me, the internship was mostly about gaining work experience,” says Hammons. “It has been very validating to see the work I’m doing directly impact the growth of the company.”
Andre is one of 30 local students who took part in a new entrepreneurial internship program this past summer, a partnership between Blackstone LaunchPad, StartUp Vegas, and the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. The program placed interns at 18 local companies for a 10-week paid internship funded through the Blackstone Charitable Foundation.
Hammons joined the Las Vegas-based tech startup Quilia, a client management app that automates treatment tracking and improves the personal injury process for both clients and attorneys.
Quilia’s founder and CEO Kenny Eliason says for him, offering internships is a no-brainer.
“Internship programs like these are a game changer for smaller startups like ours,” says Eliason. “They’re not only important to the growth of the region’s startup ecosystem, they also invest in both students and local companies. I knew right away we needed to sign up.”
Hammons spent his 10-week internship working on software development for the company’s web and mobile products. Eliason says Hammons quickly proved that he was up for even bigger challenges, which is why they decided to offer him a full-time position as a Junior Software Engineer at the conclusion of the internship.
“I’m not a micromanager; I prefer to empower my employees to learn on their own,” says Eliason. “Andre jumped right in and started figuring stuff out on his own. Probably a month in, we were like, ‘he knows as much about our app as we do.’ He’s ambitious, excited, and just really set himself apart.”
Hammons isn’t the only student who found the perfect job fit – three additional interns were also offered full-time employment at the end of their summer internships. Blackstone LaunchPad notes this is exactly the outcome they were hoping to see.
“Through StartUp Vegas, we are proud to enable local Vegas businesses and startups to hire summer interns – including student talent from local Blackstone LaunchPad partner institutions, College of Southern Nevada and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas,” said Maura Pally, Executive Director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. “We are committed to advancing students’ careers with paid career exposure opportunities and access to key skills-building and networking opportunities in Nevada and beyond.”
The success of this summer’s internship program also shows that collaboration between our region’s higher education institutions and local businesses is essential for bridging the workforce opportunity gap.
“This partnership has not only transformed students into valuable employees but has also further fortified our startup ecosystem,” says Heather Brown, SVP of Entrepreneurial Development for LVGEA. “Our goal was to create opportunities for students to get hands-on career experience and get them involved in the region’s startup scene in the hopes they’ll stick around after graduation, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing happen.”
Hammons says he’s grateful to have had the internship experience and the real-world experience that comes with it.
“I’d heard from a lot of classmates that new graduates were having trouble getting jobs, and I was worried about that,” says Hammons. “It seems for every entry level job you still need to have several years of work experience that we didn’t know how to get. This internship provides the opportunity for students like me to gain that experience before they graduate.”
Eliason adds to that sentiment, saying these types of internships help keep local students in the region after graduation.
“There is a common complaint among startups in Las Vegas that there is a lack of talent, developer talent specifically,” says Eliason. “And when you do find talent, it’s out of San Francisco and it’s too expensive. These internships help fix that talent pipeline problem.”
While internships are beneficial for students, they also help companies.
“My bosses have emphasized how valuable our work has been as interns,” says Hammons. “Yes, it’s extremely beneficial for the students but I think it’s just as beneficial for the companies.”
Eliason wholeheartedly agrees.
“We wouldn’t be where we are if we hadn’t found these internship programs.”
To learn more about LVGEA’s, Blackstone LaunchPad’s, and StartUp Vegas’ joint internship program, please visit our Newsroom.
Visit the LVGEA Talent Pipeline Dashboard
