Urban Alliance

Mission: To provide meaningful, effective paid internships to as many young people who need them as we can.

We are building a diverse next-generation workforce. Since 1996, Urban Alliance has connected 6,000 young adults, primarily from communities of color, to paid internships and trained 21,000 more young adults in workforce skills across the greater Washington, DC area (including Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, and Northern Virginia), Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit. We inspire students to dream big and achieve economic mobility. Our work supports the development of diverse talent pipelines.

Urban Alliance (UA) brought paid internships to Detroit high school students in Fall 2018. This expansion was made possible through the support of key partners in the city, especially the Rocket Companies – our anchor employer in Detroit – as well as our long-time partner Bank of America and new partner The Skillman Foundation.

In Detroit, UA is part of a strong network of schools, local government, nonprofits, businesses, and funders who both recognize the importance of youth employment and actively work to strengthen Detroit’s workforce development ecosystem. We work with the entire community to nurture and grow the potential of Detroit youth, and support the city’s continued prosperity.

In partnership with over 200+ employers, we level the playing field for young people in the workforce by equipping them with the tools to overcome the systemic barriers that prevent equal access to economic opportunity. Our signature Urban Alliance High School Internship Program is a paid nine-month program for high school seniors that includes professional development training, paid internships, and one-on-one support that keeps them connected to school or the workforce.

Our expansion to Detroit is grounded in our core mission to provide meaningful, effective paid internships to as many young people who need them as we can. UA Detroit launched with a pilot group of 40 students from Breithaupt Career Technical Center, Osborn High School, and Randolph Career Technical Center during the 2018-19 school year. We now serve more than 200 students through our 11th and 12th grade programs.

We work with schools and employers to address systemic barriers to economic mobility for young adults of color and to bridge the gaps between education and workforce development for all young people.