Q&A
Funding challenges and limitations for internship programs
0:59:38
·
171 sec
Council Member Gale A. Brewer inquires about funding challenges for internship programs and the limitations on available positions. CUNY and DCAS representatives discuss the various barriers to expanding these programs.
- Lauren Andersen explains that funding is not the only barrier; civil service title availability also limits expansion
- Some programs could scale with more funding, but partnerships with individual agencies also require increased agency budgets
- DCAS representatives highlight that the Civil Service Pathways Fellowship is limited to 200 approved positions
- Engagement efforts are ongoing, with multiple events scheduled with CUNY schools to raise awareness of opportunities
Gale A. Brewer
0:59:38
Now, the ones that CUNY that you're mentioning We could always use more funding, but is there adequate funding to be able to meet the needs?
0:59:47
You listed some programs that have x slots and just hundreds of more people applying.
0:59:53
So my question is, do you have some sense of what which programs would need funding in order to meet some of that need?
1:00:00
Like, CUNY?
1:00:03
Because you're talking about the kinds of jobs that are desperately needed for city government?
Lauren Andersen
1:00:08
Yeah.
1:00:09
So in the instances where the funding is not the only barrier, barriers also being the number of civil service titles, obviously, there's something in addition to funding that provides the bottleneck.
1:00:22
But for our programs that do not require civil service titles in order to start students along the path of interning, we do have a number of programs that absolutely could scale with more funding Part of the issue too is that our partnerships are with agencies directly.
1:00:38
There's an expectation that agencies or city council member offices do pay students.
1:00:43
And so some of it too is is challenging because the individual agencies who also need more funding in in order to be able to expand.
1:00:50
Okay.
Gale A. Brewer
1:00:50
I guess what I would say because I believe that information should be shared is the tool you should get together.
1:00:56
Decast and CUNY.
1:00:57
And you should make it clear.
1:00:59
This agents you know, you have to be a little, you know, challenged to OMB.
1:01:05
But you should say, we are I wanna be clear.
1:01:07
We are so desperate for city employees.
1:01:09
Let's be clear.
1:01:10
And yet what you're saying is, here are the potential students who could be city employees, but there are so many barriers that we can't fulfill even the students that wanna be city employees.
1:01:21
That's a problem.
1:01:22
So I'm suggesting that there'd be more understanding and you'd be a little bit bold and saying, this agency has not given enough enough money to fill their amazing applications for students, etcetera.
1:01:36
I mean, I can't tell how many times we can't do things because there's nobody in the agency to do it.
1:01:41
So I I would make that suggestion.
1:01:43
I know that's challenging because nobody wants to upset o m b.
1:01:47
Well, get with the program.
1:01:50
That would be my suggestion.
1:01:51
Thank you.
Kadian Outar
1:01:52
And I just wanted to add in terms of like the partnerships that we have with CUNY.
1:01:56
One of the main part is the engagement in making students aware of the opportunities available So for example, we tomorrow, we have 2 events with Quni.
1:02:06
We're at City Tech And the Quni Graduate Center.
1:02:09
For the rest of the month, we have about 7 events scheduled with Quni Schools.
1:02:13
And we engage agencies to to come out with us.
1:02:16
For the folks that apply for our internships, like the civil service pathways, fellowship, we know that even though they may not be able to get into the program this summer time around, we do communicate with them and engage and say, hey, maybe the next time they can do that.
Gale A. Brewer
1:02:30
Why can't talk to you this time around?
