Advancing San Diego internship program
Small businesses in San Diego: host paid interns from Advancing San Diego Verified Programs.
Launched in 2019 as part of the region’s inclusive growth effort to double the number of skilled workers in San Diego, EDC and its partners organize a regional internship program to offer support to small businesses and connect San Diego students to valuable work-based learning opportunities. This effort is underwritten by generous contributions from local organizations to strengthen the regional talent pipeline.
Why host interns
Paid internships are critical to building a strong talent pipeline and workforce.
Both your company and San Diego’s long-term competitiveness depend on a strong local talent pipeline. Much of the job growth over the past five years has occurred in roles requiring post-secondary education, and 84 percent of new jobs by 2030 are projected to need skilled workers.
Meanwhile, today’s innovation economy does not reflect the workforce of tomorrow. Hispanic and Latino students represent nearly half of San Diego’s future workforce, but only 20 percent of the current innovation economy. Demand for STEM talent alone exceeded 40,000 job postings in 2024.
Hosting interns allows employers like you to invest directly in developing local talent, expanding access to paid, high-quality, work-based learning, while helping the region invest in the skilled workforce our future will require. By hosting Advancing San Diego (ASD) interns, you’ll:
- Develop the entry-level talent your company needs.
Internships help develop the communication, professionalism, problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability—skills employers often report are lacking in early career talent. - Strengthen community and future hire engagement.
A 2025 survey of post-secondary and high school intern hosts found strong organizational benefits, including increased community engagement and growing interest in expanding internship opportunities. - Save on payroll while building your talent pipeline.
Fund your own interns or join the other 300+ regional companies who have hosted subsidized interns, saving an average of $20,000 per company and more than $4.3 million in payroll collectively.
Here’s what past ASD intern hosts had to say:
APPLY TO HOST INTERNS
San Diego companies with fewer than 100 employees: Apply to host up to two paid interns from ASD Verified Programs.
How it works & program details:
- Selected companies will receive a batch of student resumes and have the opportunity to select candidates through their regular hiring process.
- Hired interns earn $22 per hour for a maximum of 240 hours between June 1 and September 30; hosts will work directly with their intern to determine a schedule. Interns also have access to a $500 stipend toward clothing, transportation, and other needs to ensure they can be successful in their role.
- ASD provides a staffing agency as the employer of record, ensuring host companies are not responsible for administering payroll, taxes, or insurance, and interns will not count toward employee headcount.
Before beginning your application, please download the Application Prep Document to ensure you have the information readily available to complete the form. Once starting the application, you will not be able to save and return to it.
Applications for this round are now closed.
Other frequently asked questions:
My company can fund our own interns—can we still participate? Yes! Apply and select “Employer-Funded: we are able to fully fund intern wages independently” on the application form.
My company operates an independent internship program—can we still recruit from ASD Verified Programs? Yes! Complete this form for EDC to share with our talent community and post all paid opportunities here.
Other questions? Please contact EDC’s Talent Initiatives team.
Applicants, please note these key dates:
February 13: Intern host application closes
February 16: Selected companies notified
February 17 – March 13: EDC works with supervisors to finalize job descriptions
Week of March 16: Intern host onboarding sessions (two date options TBA)
March 16 – April 17: Intern host site visits
April 13 – May 8: Round 1 intern selection
May 11 – June 1: Round 2 intern selection
June 1: Earliest intern start date
August 17: Latest intern start date
September 30: Latest intern finish date
program history
Since 2020, the ASD internship program has seen:
4,025
internship applications
800+
paid interns placed
300+
company hosts
80%
of interns identify with a priority population
ASD drives regional workforce growth by partnering with employers to identify growing occupations and in-demand skills, align education with job needs, and expand access to opportunities for underrepresented groups using the Talent Pipeline Management® framework. The ASD internship program directly connects local employers with talented students for paid internships, strengthening workforce development and building early-career talent pipelines. The paid internship program is an effort by all core ASD partners and serves as a cornerstone for the region’s broader Inclusive Growth work.
Questions? Contact
Emily Chowaniec
Coordinator, Talent Initiatives