Nominee Name: Social Impact Award: Parker Dewey
Award category:Social Impact Award
About the nominee:Parker Dewey pioneered an innovative model that provides equitable pathways for college students and recent graduates to gain professional opportunities while improving the early-career recruiting process for employers. Through these Micro-Internships, Career Launchers complete short-term, paid professional assignments on behalf of busy professionals, allowing them to demonstrate skills, explore career pathways, and build relationships, while also reinforcing learning. As such, Micro-Internships offer unparalleled opportunities for professional experience, growth, and learning. By participating in projects, students gain exposure to various industries, work cultures, and professional networks. And since 100% of these Micro-Internships are paid fairly, they are accessible to all learners. As a result, over 96% of Micro-Interns are professionally employed upon graduation, with over 80% representing populations underrepresented in the workforce.
Parker Dewey’s Micro-Internship platform also helps employers identify, engage, assess, and hire these Career Launchers for full-time roles. This allows them to reach individuals who may not be aware of opportunities at their organizations, do not have the academic pedigree (e.g., school, major, GPA, etc.), lack professional relationships and social capital, and face other obstacles in the recruiting process. As a result, employers improve reach to learners at over 5,700 post-secondary institutions, lower hiring costs 40-80%, improve diversity, and enhance retention. (We’ve found that over 96% of former Micro-Interns stay beyond their first year in their first full-time role).
This approach works because the Parker Dewey platform provides busy professionals with on-demand support on short-term assignments, while also allowing employers to evaluate candidates' skill sets in real-time, providing insights into potential candidates' abilities before making long-term hiring decisions.
We’re also fortunate to partner with organizations who share our mission of creating more equitable and accessible pathways for career launchers, including the Dream.US, Bottom Line, and Dell Scholars. These partners support Parker Dewey in leveling the playing field by providing opportunities for college students and recent graduates, regardless of their background or location. We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, and we actively support underrepresented and marginalized communities in accessing Micro-Internships.
Why they should win:Parker Dewey is transforming the college-to-career journey for students and recent graduates from all backgrounds with Micro-Internships: short, paid, accessible projects. These Micro-Internships create equitable pathways to professional employment for all learners, while overcoming the barriers tied to lack of social capital, academic pedigree, and other inherent biases