PIC President & Executive Director Michael O'Neill Reflects on Summer 2026 | | For decades, the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) has partnered with the City of Boston on the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Campaign, known as futureBOS, providing thousands of paid work opportunities to Boston’s young people every year. This collaboration has been a priority for successive mayors and a longstanding commitment from the Boston business community. | | The PIC and Beth Israel Lahey Health teams with Representatives Worrell and Tyler | | |
This summer:
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More than 650 young people worked in PIC-brokered employer-paid jobs and internships across Boston, a post-pandemic high.
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450-plus students were placed in paid positions with community-based organizations, made possible with city and state revenue as well as private funders including Liberty Mutual Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, and Bank of America Foundation.
- In total, 1,100 BPS students had a paid work experience directly placed by the PIC.
- The team connected students with over 65 employers and more than 100 community-based organizations.
- We also prepared an additional 1,500 students for jobs with employers outside of the PIC network, often traditional teen labor market positions in retail or food services.
Behind these numbers was the close coordination between our employer engagement managers and career specialists—matching students to opportunities with care for equitable access across every neighborhood and school while aligning students' interests with the right positions. Our Administration & Finance team worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the summer a success.
August brought a whirlwind of employer celebrations across the city, as employers large and small found their own ways to highlight the students, supervisors, and mentors who made the experience possible. Students presented on the work they completed and the skills they gained, providing a clear reminder of how much paid work experience benefits both students and employers alike.
Thank you to everyone who made this such a meaningful summer for so many of Boston's youth. You opened eyes, minds, and hearts to industries, companies, and careers that may have been invisible just months ago. You planted seeds that will encourage further academic growth and exploration which we know drives academic performance. And critically, you helped build the foundation for pipelines that Boston's key industries will need for their future workforce. Thank you to the elected and appointed officials, leaders, and partners in our city who joined us in visiting work sites and attending closing ceremonies.
It takes many committed partners to make summer youth employment work well. Thank you for being part of it—it is an honor to work alongside so many caring, dedicated individuals, organizations, employers, and institutions.
Michael O'Neill
President & Executive Director, Boston Private Industry Council
| | PIC Office Location Update | |
Beginning in November, the PIC office at 500 Amory St. in Jamaica Plain will close as we bring our team together at our office at 2 Oliver St. in Boston’s Financial District.
We are grateful for the many years we’ve spent in Jamaica Plain and for the relationships we’ve built with students, families, schools, employers, and community partners in the neighborhood.
| | Tech Apprentice Interns at SmartBear Software Build Transferable Skills | |
Through their summer internship at SmartBear Software, rising seniors Bao Nguyen and Jaydan Ramirez gained hands-on experience in the field of technology. Not only did Bao and Jaydan hone their technical abilities this summer, but they also built transferable skills that will set them apart in any future career.
Bao and Jaydan were part of a larger cohort of PIC interns in the Tech Apprentice program. Starting in 2005, the Tech Apprentice program was created to encourage BPS students to enter the field of technology by providing early-career exposure and experience.
| | Italian Home for Children Interns Support Mental Health Services | |
At the Italian Home for Children, three PIC summer interns supported the organization’s mental health and educational programming—an opportunity that reaffirmed their interest in the medical field.
This blog, written by the PIC's Communications and Marketing Summer Intern Kobi Rivera Saunders, shows how the interns provided behind-the-scenes assistance at the Italian Home. The interns' duties and projects—including client interactions, file organizing, updating databases, paycheck management, and scheduling appointments—exposed students to new aspects of the medical field while developing professional skills.
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We’re highlighting the success of PIC alumni through
#MyPICStory, a social media series sharing the stories of where PIC interns started and where they are now.
Were you a PIC intern? Use the hashtag #MyPICStory on social media to share your career journey or email Communications Specialist Lizzie McGinn for an opportunity to be featured.
| | Meet the PIC Summer Interns | | Every summer, the PIC hosts interns who play an integral role in supporting the organization during the busy summer months. During summer internship season, the PIC office is constantly buzzing—students come in and out to pick up checks or drop off paperwork, and program supervisors stop by to check in with PIC staff. The interns provide not only much-needed extra sets of hands but also add energy and vibrance to the office. | | Pictured left to right: Nobert, Ale, Mumima, and Kobi | | Postsecondary Transitions Center Supports Recent Graduates | |
This summer, the Boston Public Schools piloted the Postsecondary Transitions Center, a service for recent graduates who did not have postsecondary plans or who had not finished their next steps. A collaboration between BPS, Boston University PATH, the Boston PIC, and other postsecondary partners, the Center served as a bridge in resources and guidance after graduation to ensure that students are supported in this critical part of their journey.
Over the summer, the Transitions Center team reached out to 1,306 graduates, with 576 or 44% responding and 138 actively working on their next steps.
| | New Report: Persisting Through the Pandemic and Beyond | |
A new report by the Boston PIC in collaboration with The Boston Foundation shows that the college completion rates of Boston Public Schools graduates from the Classes of 2018 and 2019 dipped slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic but remain near recent trends.
To help prepare BPS students and recent graduates for postsecondary education and training, current information is crucial; this report provides an update on outcomes and disparities across gender and race-ethnic groups, that offers insights to inform efforts to recover from the pandemic and improve student results.
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For over 46 years, the PIC has connected Boston’s youth and adults to education, training, and meaningful employment—strengthening both our communities and our regional economy. In a time of uncertainty and change, this work is more important than ever.
None of this work would be possible without our public, private, nonprofit, education, and philanthropic partners. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to expanding opportunities for Boston residents.
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