"How NYC Can Expand Internships Amid an Entry-Level Hiring Slowdown"
A Center for an Urban Future Policy Symposium

Wednesday, December 9, 2026 
8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. 
150W17TH (formerly The Rubin Museum) 
150 W 17th St

To attend in-person, RSVP via this link.
To watch the livestream, RSVP via this link. 

Confirmed speakers include:

• Commissioner Yume Kitasei, NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services
• Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director, New York Jobs CEO Council
• Marcus Felder, Managing Director & Head of Career Pathways, Blackstone
• Doug Lipari, Executive Director, NYC Office of Talent and Workforce Development
• Anthony Munroe, President, Borough of Manhattan Community College  
• Sheila Sarem, Founder & CEO, Basta
• Kevin Stack, Senior Associate Provost, Vanderbilt University–New York City
• ShehilaRae Stephens, Executive Vice President, Economic Mobility & Social Impact, NYCEDC

College grads and New Yorkers completing workforce training programs face the most challenging job market in years, with entry-level job postings in NYC down 37 percent since 2022. In this environment, paid internships have become more important than ever, enabling young jobseekers to gain experience and build the professional networks they need to land their first jobs. But even as work-based learning experiences have become increasingly critical, internship opportunities have declined in recent years, and too few NYC employers are partnering with CUNY, other local colleges and universities, and workforce training providers to offer them.

This event will explore what’s needed to expand paid internships in New York. It will discuss how to engage more of the city's private sector employers around internships and career-connected learning, what the city's universities can do to strengthen employer partnerships, how CUNY can build on its promising CUNY Beyond initiative, and what role city and state policymakers can play. Panelists will discuss how to learn from and scale up existing public and private initiatives that have helped expand internships in New York, particularly for New Yorkers from lower-income communities. And we'll explore how to unlock more internship opportunities in city government.

Details
Wednesday, December 9, 2026 
8:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.  (doors open at 8; program begins at 8:45)
@ 150W17TH (formerly The Rubin Museum) 
150 W 17th St

To attend in-person, please RSVP via this link. 
To watch the livestream, please RSVP via this link. 

We are committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations in our programs. For questions or requests regarding access and accommodation, please contact Sophia Tumolo at [email protected] at least 72 hours in advance of the program.

This event was made possible thanks to generous support from Vanderbilt University-New York City. General operating support for the Center for an Urban Future is provided by The Clark Foundation, Robin Hood, and the Altman Foundation. CUF also receives ongoing support from several other philanthropic funders.