Utah DWS partnership offers reimbursable wages for youth internships, employers say it eases hiring

The Utah Department of Workforce Services is running a reimbursable wage internship partnership that connects youth candidates with employers, a department representative and an employer participating in the program said during a presentation.

The program matters because employers report a local skills gap and say the partnership both widens their recruitment reach and creates clearer entry-level career paths for young workers. Employers called the program easy to join and said it reduces onboarding time.

A Utah Department of Workforce Services representative described the financial benefit: "The benefits to employers is it's a reimbursable wage for youth internship." The representative also outlined services the department can offer employers: "Workforce services can help employers by, listing their jobs on jobs.utah.gov, providing opportunities to pers participate in our virtual job fairs, do on-site recruitment, and participate in our internship and other workforce development programs."

An employer taking part in the program said the partnership had a direct effect on outreach and training. "This partnership has benefited our business, as far as reaching reaching people that we might not, have reached. We really developed a, a program that takes interns and kinda shows them really what, what our side of the industry does," the employer said. The employer added that the department helped create a formal job title to market the opportunity: "he created an actual, job title that's the Department of Workforce Services and Big D Internship Program, and that allowed us to market to respective interns to apply for this position."

Both speakers described the enrollment process as straightforward. The employer said, "It was really easy, really just signing an agreement and, saying, hey, this is what we need. This is what we're looking for." The employer described the department's candidate referral process and a short onboarding timeframe: "They say, hey, have a good candidate that kinda fits what you're looking for. And then they send them to us, we interview them, and then, we get them going. It usually only takes about 2 weeks." The employer called the placements "really rewarding" for both the business and youth interns.

Speakers also pushed back on common assumptions about certain industries: "A lot of people think that construction is just hammering now, and that's just not true," the employer said, noting that internships can lead to profitable career paths beyond basic labor.

No formal votes or policy decisions were recorded in the presentation. The remarks focused on program mechanics, employer experience and recruitment supports offered by the Utah Department of Workforce Services.