Chicago Startup, Upkey, Creates Thousands of New Opportunities for Students and Companies Displaced by COVID-19 with New Virtual Internship Program (VIP)
Upkey is accepting student applications and business partnerships now until May 8
CHICAGO, April 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Upkey, a Chicago startup, offering free online resources to help students with career-readiness, announced that it is accepting student applications for its Virtual Internship Program (VIP) and additional support from organizations to help those who have had their learning and work opportunities interrupted by COVID-19.
Upkey's VIP is an eight-week educational experience, starting on June 1, and is open to thousands of students. Each week, participants will be learning from expert sources, conducting research, and completing interactive projects. The program will cover a broad range of topics and was developed with the support of faculty from leading universities and top business schools across the nation.
"The bright futures of thousands of students are suddenly on hold due to COVID-19. Simultaneously, we've been hearing about the challenges of executing an effective summer internship from many different companies," said Amir Badr, Founder and CEO, Upkey. "So we created a program that allows both students to continue their career path, and businesses to show their support and stay connected to a well prepared future workforce."
This program is created in partnership with The Academy Group, an organization committed to reinvesting into the youth and creating equal opportunities.
"We are building a coalition of leading companies and leaders to ensure more young people can grow professionally, despite the crisis," said Dr. Timothy Knowles, Founder and Managing Partner, The Academy Group. "While it is a challenging time to identify new resources and partners, we are convinced now is precisely the time to help make this happen."
World Business Chicago, an organization dedicated to driving inclusive economic growth and job creation to help promote Chicago as a leading global city, is another early partner providing volunteers to help facilitate the program.
"We all remember that fear that comes with being a student trying to find an internship. Now imagine having opportunities being taken away by a pandemic no one could've prepared for," said Andrea Zopp, President and CEO, World Business Chicago. "The goal of this program is to create hope in a time where everyone needs it the most."
In addition to student applications, Upkey is also still accepting new partners and sponsors. Both students and organizations interested in learning more can visit www.upkey.com.
About Upkey
Upkey provides free online educational resources to students ranging from high-school to university level. Through gamified modules, the company focuses on making professional growth, fun, easy and accessible to everyone. The goal of Upkey is to create equal opportunities across the board, and provide underrepresented students the tools needed to be successful in their career path. In the past six months, the company has served over 15,000 students across the nation. Those interested in learning more can visit www.upkey.com.
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