Urban Innovation21 is a unique public-private partnership that is supporting the growth of entrepreneurship in our region's innovation economy and connecting that growth to underserved communities and the residents that live in those communities.
Since 2008, Urban Innovation21 has provided over 500 paid internship assignments for students attending Carlow University, Community College of Allegheny County, Duquesne University, and Point Park University. The majority of these opportunities are internship assignments with innovative economy companies. These opportunities range across the board from marketing and business development to graphic design and engineering.
Within the internship program, Urban Innovation21 has a targeted initiative for students who receive the Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship and are currently attending Carlow University, Community College of Allegheny County, Duquesne University, and Point Park University. These interns are placed among local manufacturer companies and various departments in the UPMC Health Plan.
This is the largest and most diverse innovation economy based internship program in the region. Over 50% of the internship participants are women and over 40% are underrepresented minorities. Interns who completed the internship program have expressed they felt more confident and comfortable within the workplace. As well, employers stated that interns helped build capacity within their company. Upon finishing their internship assignment, many interns continue on with full-time employment, either with their internship company or another company in the region.
