All Hands on Deck: Gearing Up for Summer 2025
As the winter cold seeps into Boston, summer isn’t far from the minds of the Career Services and Employer Engagement teams at the Boston Private Industry Council. It’s not because of a wish for warmer weather – although that may be true for some – but because the teams are busy preparing students and employer partners alike for the 2025 summer jobs season. While summer is months away, so much work goes on behind the scenes to make a successful experience fall into place.
Career Services
At schools across the city, Career Specialists are meeting with students to prepare them for February vacation boot camps and summer internships. “It’s all hands on deck,” says Rodney Perez, a Career Specialist at Charlestown High School. “We’re getting into classrooms, we’re hosting resume and application workshops, supporting students and making sure that they have access to all resources available. It’s a busy time of year for students and for us.”
At the annual February skill-building boot camps, local companies and organizations provide students with paid career-learning opportunities in fields like AI, robotics, architecture, art, and more. Career Specialists and the Employer Engagement team provide support for these one-to-four-day programs, signing up students, coordinating logistics, facilitating student participation and engagement, and more. Thanks to support from Amazon, the PIC is able to offer stipends for students participating in the boot camps.
“Boot camps are a great way for students to experience career-connected learning in the school year,” says Jimmy Wyman, Director of Career Services. “It not only enhances their skills and knowledge but also gives them exposure to what a potential summer internship could be. It’s a great way to kick off the beginning of the summer jobs campaign.”
In mid-February, applications for summer internships launch, marking a start to the busiest time of year for Career Specialists. For Perez, the influx of students seeking help with resumes and applications is exciting. “It’s very fun to meet new students and reconnect with old students,” he says. “We work one-on-one or in groups to complete their applications. It’s rewarding to be able to see them go through applying, interviewing, and completing their internships and the growth that happens during that process.”
Employer Engagement
At last November’s Employer Network meeting, Mayor Michelle Wu congratulated employer partners for a successful summer 2024 youth jobs program and set a goal for the network to offer 800+ private sector placements in 2025. The Employer Engagement team, led by Director Josh Bruno, is busy bringing the Mayor’s vision to life.
“It’s promising to see how many companies want to get involved with local youth,” says Bruno. “We’re here to support what that involvement looks like, whether that’s starting an internship program or hosting workshops and shadow days. Our team is ready to help make these connections flourish.”
In addition to recruiting new employer partners, the Employer Engagement team is connecting with existing partners in preparation for the upcoming summer. With assistance from STEM Employer Engagement Manager, Betsey Hamre, Vertex Pharmaceuticals is already laying the groundwork for their summer internship program. In mid-January, a group of Career Specialists visited Vertex’s headquarters in the Seaport for a training session on their internship program. The Vertex Learning Lab team shared tips on facilitating the application and interview process and provided a tour of the Learning Lab, a STEM space dedicated to student learning.
With a packed schedule in the months ahead, the Career Services and Employer Engagement teams show no signs of stopping. Through collaboration, planning, and hard work, summer 2025 will surely be a success.
The PIC is looking for additional employer partners to host summer internships this year. If your company would like to learn more, please reach out to Josh Bruno, Director of Employer Engagement, at Josh.Bruno@bostonpic.org.
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