Charlotte’s Mayor’s Youth Employment Program seeks more host businesses after nearly 1,200 youth applications
Record demand meets a practical constraint: paid placements depend on employer participation
Charlotte’s Mayor’s Youth Employment Program is seeking additional host employers for Summer 2026 after receiving nearly 1,200 student applications, a level the city has described as exceeding 1,200. The program matches high school students to paid internships and relies on businesses, nonprofits and public-sector partners to provide worksite opportunities and cover the cost of wages for hosted interns.
The summer internship window is scheduled for June 22 through July 31, 2026. The 2026 student application period ran from January 26 to February 18, and is now closed. City officials have continued recruiting employers to ensure enough placements for the applicant pool.
How the program is structured
The program is designed for high school students ages 16 to 18. Students placed through the initiative work with one employer for at least 25 hours per week and earn at least $13 per hour. For the six-week summer format described by the city, that translates to a total of $1,950 in pay for each participating student. Work arrangements may be onsite, remote, or hybrid, depending on the employer and role.
Before placement, applicants are required to submit an application package that includes a resume and written component and to complete a virtual interview. The city also lists a background check and drug screening as part of the process, with staff reviewing materials before assigning students to a host employer.
What employers are being asked to provide
The city’s employer outreach emphasizes that hosting an intern requires offering a paid internship, with the host employer responsible for the cost. In addition to hosting at their own worksites, businesses can support the initiative by sponsoring work experiences for students placed at local nonprofits or by contributing industry expertise to virtual pathways that reach larger groups of students.
- Host a student during the summer internship window
- Sponsor a student placement at a nonprofit organization
- Serve as a subject matter expert in virtual career pathways
Nonprofit placements and grant support
To expand capacity, the city also offers grant funding aimed at subsidizing youth placements at eligible nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits seeking this support must be registered as 501(c)(3) organizations and provide a certificate of liability as part of the application. The city describes the grants as a way to help cover student stipends while connecting students to community-based work.
City materials describe the program’s purpose as expanding equitable career-development opportunities and improving long-term economic mobility through early work experience.
Employer information sessions scheduled in March and April
To support recruitment, the city scheduled virtual employer information events for March 25, 2026 at 1 p.m. and April 2, 2026 at 10 a.m. The goal is to clarify hosting requirements, answer operational questions, and convert interested organizations into confirmed worksites in time for the June start.
With a fixed summer calendar and a large applicant pool, the number of internships ultimately available will depend on the pace and scale of employer commitments made in the weeks leading up to the program’s launch.