MAY 20, 2020 — INROADS, Inc. announces today that it now offers virtual internships called viSHIPS via Symba — a remote internship platform.
“COVID-19 is resulting in thousands of canceled internships for students across America, particularly students of color. INROADS has a responsibility to assist students facing these cancellations. Thanks to our partnership with Symba, INROADS now offers a virtual platform to corporate America that can be used to host internships remotely and fulfill a great societal need at a critical time, and possibly for years to come,” said Forest Harper Jr., president and CEO, INROADS, Inc.
Symba was founded in 2017 by Ahva Sadeghi. It is headquartered in San Francisco and is comprised of a diverse team of women in tech. On Friday, May 29, 2020, Symba and INROADS will deliver an interactive webinar to give businesses a preview of the tools they need to host remote internship programs. Prospective and existing clients can register here or contact Cebien Alty, director, Business Development Operations at [email protected] or 314-655-1549.
“We are seeing a massive shift in internships this summer due to the pandemic. A recent poll by NACE showed that over 83% of employers are adjusting their internship programs this summer and most of them are moving to a virtual format. We are excited to partner with INROADS in this effort,” says Ahva Sadeghi, Symba’s co-founder & CEO.
Symba provides an interface that makes it possible to experience a centralized platform for intern onboarding, project management, feedback, community and engagement. Symba’s innovative approach promises to level the playing field between students and companies — both small and large.
In 2018, Symba noted more than 2.5 million students in the United States participate in internships each year. The high rate of internship cancellations happening as a result of COVID-19 is a major problem because internships are one of the most important factors for landing a job after college. Companies use internships to recruit upward of 60% of their interns to full-time employment, according to NACE.
“Symba will provide the necessary support and best practices to ensure that INROADS’ partners host meaningful remote internships this summer. Our team at Symba is here to support the important work of INROADS’ partners in providing thousands of students this summer with life-changing career opportunities,” says Nikita Gupta, Symba’s co-founder & CTO.
With this partnership, Symba will support INROADS’ partners with key resources and tools to build and scale successful remote internship programs. It is a critical time for internship programs. Thanks to Symba, INROADS can now provide special expertise and guidance to its network of partners.
“Boundless innovation and proven legacy of both Symba and INROADS is the perfect collaboration needed at this time in our nation. We are pleased to partner with Symba to ensure we provide the best in technology to close the disparity and opportunity gaps for talented underserved students for careers in corporate America and entrepreneurship for the sustainable future,” says Harper.
About Symba
Symba is the leading remote internship platform as recently featured in The Washington Post and TechCrunch. Symba’s platform connects companies with talented remote interns and helps them manage the entire remote internship experience. Symba has designed more than 5,000 internship experiences and partnered with more than 400 universities. Contact us at https://symba.io/.
About INROADS
Founded in 1970, INROADS delivers innovative programs and creative solutions that identify, accelerate and elevate the development of underrepresented talent throughout their careers. Through this development, students become equipped for corporate and community leadership that affects community renewal, social change and elevates economic status and quality of life. INROADS has placed students in more than 135,000 paid internships throughout its history and graduated more than 30,000 alumni into full-time professional and leadership positions with more than 1,000 corporate partners. Currently, INROADS serves nearly 1,300 interns and 200 corporate clients. Learn more at INROADS.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn: @INROADSInc.