About Us

We connect college students and recent grads to paid positions at leading Berkshire Businesses. We help our interns with professional development, networking, and adjusting to life in the Berkshires.

Program Summary

Many of our interns find their passion while they’re here—and some end up launching their careers at companies where they were interns. We like to keep in touch with our BI alumni (you can read some of their stories here) and make sure they know about job postings and opportunities that might be a good fit.

The Berkshires are a great place to find and build community. BI can connect you with employers who will help you gain the skills you need to develop a career with meaning and value. BI also helps you build a local network and find mentors who can help you as you contribute to your field.

program stats

Internships since 2018 when Berkshire interns began.

Local Berkshire companies have participated in the program.

Race

1%

3%

12%

9%

72%

Latino

Unknown

Multi Racial

Asian

Black

White

RECRUITMENT DATA

applications in 2021

applications per internships

0 /3

of our intern cohort
is from the Berkshires

Gender IdentiTy

44%

2%

54%

Men

Genderqueer

Women

FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS

24%

76%

Yes

No

How we help

We connect college students and recent grads to paid positions at leading Berkshire Businesses. We help our students with professional development, networking, and adjusting to life in the Berkshires.

Internships are mutual partnerships. We work with employers who are passionate about helping young people develop as professionals, and pay at least Massachusetts minimum wage for full-time work during the 10 week program period. We recruit interns from just about anywhere, though most have some connection to the area, through attending college or growing up here.

We believe today’s workforce needs new and diverse perspectives, and we know that historically, not everyone has naturally found a seat at the table. That’s why BI also helps create opportunities for students from underrepresented groups through the Inclusive Internship Preparation Program (I2P2).

In addition to matching students with prospective employers, we offer:

Career development
Resume help
Networking with other interns and local professionals
Free access to Berkshire attractions and events
Help connecting interns with resources like housing and transportation

BI is more than an internship program. Our success is your success. Your success is your employer’s success. Your employer’s success is success for the region.

2018 Interns Catherine May + Ally Brown

Mitchell Jezouit, Adams Community Bank Intern at 2021 Award Ceremony

2021 Alexis Shumsky Selfie Contest

BCArc Interns Erika Quackenbush + Samantha Staffin

Paige Killiard CHP

Paige Taylor with Sandra Thomas (Martys-Local)

2021 Domenica Gomez + Maggie Sorrentino Selfie Contest

Kelli Kozak + MountainOne intern Heather McFarlane

Lever Interns Jacob Fink + True Pham

Participating Employers 2022

Meet the team

Bryana supports all of Lever's programming through administrative work and management. She assists with the entrepreneurial and intern curriculum and manages program logistics. Born and raised in Clarksburg, MA, she is passionate about her work and its impact on the regional economy.

The program was founded by Lever’s Executive Director Jeffrey Thomas. Jeffrey has served as an adjunct professor at Williams College since 2006 and has worked with hundreds of Williams students interested in entrepreneurship. Since its 2014 launch, Lever has hosted more than 40 paid student interns, most of whom were supervised by Jeffrey.

Avril is Lever's Communication Manager. She creates and manages all digital media marketing, social media posts and program materials. She also supports fundraising, grant development and various Lever events. A Berkshire County native and a recent graduate, Avril holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Eastern Connecticut State University.

About us