Increasing Social and Cultural Capital Through Internships

Abstract

Utilizing graduate employability capitals, this article tests an internship program designed to eliminate barriers to access internships and to build college students’ social and cultural capital. The primary components of the program were: 1) financial support, 2) social and cultural capital resources provided by the college and the employer, 3) institutional support during the intern-site matching process, and 4) support to build graduate employability capitals throughout the internship. The program increased students’ social and cultural capital and created a model to improve how colleges share institutional resources with students to improve students’ social mobility.