Running Two Youth Internship Programs for a Health Plan, End to End

Client details are anonymized.

The challenge

The health plan invests in District youth through two internship pathways, one for younger participants and one for young adults. Running them well means handling dozens of moving parts at once: recruitment, eligibility files, host-site agreements, payroll, attendance, participant support and reporting to the sponsor. All of it had to fit into a six-week window in summer 2026.

The approach

Altus ran both programs under a single project management and communication plan, with targets set before launch.

• Plan. Set measurable targets in the program charter, from enrollment deadlines to satisfaction scores. Signed host-site agreements before interns arrived.
• Execute. Recruited, screened and onboarded interns; coordinated payroll and timekeeping; placed interns at host sites across the District; and ran Saturday professional development on workplace readiness, resumes, LinkedIn profiles and interview skills.
• Assure. Tracked attendance, payroll accuracy and participant progress weekly, with kickoff, midpoint and final reporting to the sponsor. Case management addressed barriers before they became dropouts.
• Knowledge Transfer. Closed with a showcase and ceremony, then a final report with lessons learned and recommendations for the next cohort.

How success was measured

Six targets were set before launch and reported to the sponsor:

• Enrollment of 30 interns with complete files before the program started
• Average attendance of 90% or higher
• Resume and LinkedIn completion of 95% or higher
• Retention of 85% or higher through the final week
• Intern satisfaction of 4.0 out of 5 or higher
• Supervisor satisfaction of 4.0 out of 5 or higher

The program was delivered with no material performance issues reported.

What makes youth internships work

1. Set targets before launch and report against them, so the sponsor sees results rather than activity.
2. Lock host-site agreements before interns start.
3. Treat payroll accuracy as part of the participant experience. Late pay loses interns.
4. Pair workplace experience with weekly skill-building the interns can show employers.