HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 006 (4) INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-006
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 24, 2023
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SUBJECT: CITY OF FORT WORTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
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The purpose of this informal report is to provide an update on the City of Fort Worth (CFW) Internship
Program. The City is dedicated to creating opportunities for the growth and development of today's students.
The CFW Internship Program is intended to create a professional environment by which college-level
students gain the opportunity to apply experiential classroom learning in a professional setting. The program
provides interns with valuable public service experience as future colleagues or potential future employees
in local government or the public sector. The program also provides an opportunity for the City to evaluate
talent for future opportunities within the City.
Internships can be paid or unpaid, may or may not include academic credit, and do not exceed 12 months.
Paid interns are classified as hourly paid employees in temporary positions and are not eligible for benefits.
Each department is responsible for ensuring the appropriate use of student interns and for working
collaboratively with the Human Resources (HR) Department for paid internships and unpaid internships for
educational credit, or with the Communications & Public Engagement Department for unpaid (volunteer)
opportunities without educational credit.
The intern selection process was streamlined in the Spring of 2022 to track paid and unpaid internships.
Interns are selected through a traditional recruitment process or through partnerships between colleges,
universities and City departments. Departments can also partner with local government agencies that
provide workforce development services through specialized programs. An "Internship Project Proposal
Form" is required for paid and academic credit internships.
Paid intern positions are advertised on the CFW Careers website and Handshake.com — a talent recruiting
platform connecting employers to students across educational institutions. Unpaid positions are advertised
through Handshake.com.
Intern Demographics Review
Demographics data for paid interns (for 2020-2022) includes:
Ethnicity Total
White 3 Gender Total
2 or More 2 Female 4
Black 2 Male 5
Hispanic 2 Grand Total 9
Grand Total 9
Demographic data for unpaid interns (for 2022) includes:
Gender Total
Female 6
Male 2
Grand Total 8
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 23-006
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 24, 2023
Page 2 of 2
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SUBJECT: CITY OF FORT WORTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
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The eight (8) unpaid interns were assigned to the following departments:
• 4 unpaid interns — Mayor's Office
• 2 unpaid interns — Office of Police Oversight Monitor
• 1 unpaid intern —Transportation & Public Works
• 1 unpaid intern — Code Compliance, Environmental Quality Division
Note: Internships that are unpaid and that do not receive educational credit are classified as volunteers
and are onboarded through the Communication & Public Engagement department. Demographic data for
volunteers is not currently collected but will be collected after the transition to the new Volunteer
Management System in 2023.
Intern Compensation Review
The pay range for paid interns from 2020 to 2022 is $15 - $20/hour. Interns are scheduled to work up to 19
hours per week and do not receive benefits. The overall estimated annualized cost per intern using the
same number of unpaid internships and the pay range of$15 - $20/hour for 52 work weeks would be
between $14,820k up to $19,760k per intern. Using 12 weeks to align with college semesters with an
average of 19 hours per week, is estimated to be $3,420 up to $4,560 for paid internships.
Academic related unpaid internships are necessary to support credit-bearing requirements for college and
university level students in order to fulfill academic requirements and will classified as volunteers.
Next Gen Ambassador Program
In summer 2022, the City launched the first Next Gen Ambassador Program. Although not a formal
internship,this program targeted young adults aged 17 to 21 who were interested in learning about municipal
operations. In total 37 participants were assigned to various City departments for 8 weeks. On Fridays, the
participants would attend development workshops provided by HR to enhance the overall learning
experience. The Ambassadors were paid $14/hour and is expected to continue in FY '23 to be funded
based on departmental participation. The demographics for those that participated are listed below:
Ethnicity Total Gender Total
Hispanic 20 Female 27
Black 8 Male 10
White 8 Grand Total 37
2 or More 1
Grand Total 37
If you have questions concerning this information, please contact Dianna Giordano, Human Resources
Director at 817-392-7783.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS