THE White House is closing an age-old barrier to entry for many young Americans by announcing that will pay your interns starting this fall, which, in the United States, takes place between September and November.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris are announcing the launch of the White House Internship Program and that, for the first time in history, White House interns will be paid. The first class will begin in the fall of 2022,” reads a White House statement shared exclusively with the CNN .
The interns will receive $750 per week through a grant, according to the “Frequently Asked Questions” page of the White House internship website. Interns are expected to work at least 35 hours a week, the website said, raising the hourly rate to a maximum of $21.43 an hour.
“Scholarships are disbursed in two tranches: Participants will receive the first payment at or near the start of the program and the final payment upon successful completion of the program,” the website said.
The White House statement to the CNN described the move to pay interns as a “significant milestone” that “will help remove barriers to equal opportunity for low-income students and professionals early in their careers and help ensure that White House interns reflect America’s diversity.” ”.
The internships will be funded through a provision for White House internships embedded in the massive government funding bill passed earlier this year. Potential candidates can start applying from this Monday (6) and will be notified in August.
Beginning more than 18 months after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, it marks the first time the Biden White House will have a full class of interns due to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Fall Class of 2022 will be held in person on the White House campus. Program leadership will continue to monitor the public health landscape related to Covid-19 and adapt the program’s approach to ensure a safe and healthy work environment,” the White House said.
There has long been pressure on the White House to pay its interns, far behind many private sector employers. Internship has always been unpaid and there has been no provision for accommodation or living expenses, creating a significant burden for those chosen for the prestigious role and driving away many qualified candidates.
The Fair Pay grassroots campaign launched efforts to ask then-President Barack Obama to pay his interns in 2013, when Obama spent the summer advocating nationwide minimum wage increases.
“We do not believe that the White House can, in good faith, pursue the minimum wage and at the same time have unpaid employees,” Mikey Franklin of the Fair Pay Campaign said at the time.
Nonprofit advocacy group Pay Our Interns began campaigning at the White House to pay their interns in October 2019, sending a letter to the Biden-Harris transition in December 2020 signed by more than 200 alumni of the intern program. White House stage.
The group subsequently lobbied congressmen to include $4.5 million for White House internship programs in the government funding bill passed in March.
“We are pleased that the White House has taken this important step forward so that the opportunity to serve the country is open to all people, not just those who can work for free. We hope this new announcement sends a strong message to the rest of the federal government and other sectors that it is socially and morally unacceptable to have unpaid internships,” said Pay Our Interns co-founder and former unpaid White House intern Carlos Mark. Vera, in a statement to CNN .
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the White House said Thursday, “have committed to building a government that looks like America, believing that qualified people of all backgrounds and walks of life should have opportunities equal to serve our nation. This commitment is reflected in every class of the White House Internship Program, and all who are interested and meet the established criteria are highly encouraged to apply.”
The internship runs from September 12 to December 16 and is open to college students, those who graduated in the past two years or high school seniors who have served on active duty in the past two years, the White House said.
Source: CNN Brasil
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