Jamestown Expands Internship Funding, Aims to Boost Local Hiring

The Jamestown Stutsman Development Corp took a concrete step on Nov. 10 to deepen its investment in local workforce development by expanding and rebranding its internship support program. The board unanimously approved $35,000 in additional funding to relaunch the Internship Reimbursement Program as the Workforce Pathways Program, a move designed to strengthen the link between short term internships and permanent employment in Stutsman County.

Under the proposal the city would provide $28,000 and the county $7,000 subject to formal votes by the Jamestown City Council and the Stutsman County Commission. At the program level key changes aim to raise internship quality and employer accountability. Employers can be reimbursed up to $3,500 per intern, a sum that typically covers about half of internship payroll costs. Interns must be juniors seniors or within two years of graduation, and employers are required to pay at least $15 an hour. Crucially the new rules include an explicit requirement that a full time position be available for the intern to transition into, along with an evaluation rubric and revised employer questions to measure alignment with long term workforce needs.

From a fiscal perspective the additional $35,000 could fund up to 10 interns at the program maximum reimbursement level. The explicit requirement for an available full time job raises the program from a short term subsidy to a targeted hire incentive that shifts more of the cost and risk of conversion onto employers while using public funds to lower the upfront hiring barrier. For local employers this creates a clearer pathway to recruit and retain recent graduates and near graduates, potentially reducing vacancy driven costs in sectors that struggle to attract entry level talent.

The program change comes amid broader economic pressures on rural labor markets where retention of young workers is a persistent challenge. By tying reimbursement to conversion and improving internship evaluation, the Workforce Pathways Program aims to improve the return on public investment through higher conversion rates and longer term retention of workers in local firms.

At the same meeting the JSDC also approved participation in a building renovation at 120 2nd Street Northeast, which houses JSDC the Chamber and Jamestown Tourism. The board summarized ownership and cost share arrangements and approved proposed space changes that include relocating the motor vehicle office creating a new visitor center lobby and updating bathrooms to meet ADA requirements. Those renovations are intended to improve public access and visitor services while modernizing municipal lease space.

Next steps include final votes by the Jamestown City Council and the Stutsman County Commission on the funding split and continued design work on the 120 2nd Street Northeast renovation. If approved the expanded Workforce Pathways Program will begin to reshape how local employers recruit early career workers and how public funds are used to support long term local employment.