NEW ORLEANS – As employers increasingly seek staff with strong communication, creativity and problem-solving skills alongside technical expertise, 38 New Orleans public high school students are spending the summer in paid internships at 22 local cultural organizations through the Bloomberg Arts Internship.
Working at organizations including the New Orleans Museum of Art, French Quarter Festivals, Inc., the Louisiana Children’s Museum and 19 other cultural institutions, the students are developing transferable workplace skills that employers say are becoming increasingly valuable as artificial intelligence reshapes entry-level work. Workforce development has become a growing priority across Greater New Orleans as employers across multiple industries seek workers with adaptable skills that can complement rapidly evolving technology.
The Bloomberg Arts Internship, founded in 2012 by Bloomberg Philanthropies, expanded to New Orleans in 2024 through a partnership with KIDsmART. Since then, nearly 80 local students have participated in the program.
“The Bloomberg Arts Internship was founded in 2012 to encourage students to consider job opportunities in the cultural sector and to help them develop essential workplace skills for any career sector,” said Genevieve Eumann, Bloomberg Arts Internship program lead. “The program is the brainchild of Bloomberg Philanthropies Board Member, and New Orleans native, Walter Isaacson.”
Since launching in New York City, the program has expanded to nine U.S. cities and has supported more than 2,300 interns at more than 430 cultural institutions. Today, it connects high school and college students with paid internships in Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Bloomberg Arts Internship – Building Workforce Skills Beyond the Classroom
The internship program places students in a variety of roles across participating cultural organizations while providing professional development, college preparation, mentoring and educational field trips.
“The Bloomberg Arts Internship is designed to help prepare the next generation for success in the workforce by providing high school and college students with opportunities to develop essential workplace skills applicable across career sectors, including communication, problem-solving, team-building and civic engagement,” Eumann said.
In addition to their internships, students participate in weekly classroom workshops where they sharpen their writing skills and receive guidance on college applications.
“The result is a full portfolio of work, including a cover letter, resume and samples from their internship,” Eumann said.
Bloomberg Philanthropies reports the program has produced measurable education and career outcomes. The organization’s annual report says 81% of participants enroll in college or technical school, nearly 20 percentage points above the national average. Bloomberg Arts Internship program materials also report that 77% of interns improve their writing proficiency, with nearly half scoring high enough to bypass remedial college coursework.
Among employed alumni nationwide, nearly 60% report working in arts-centered or arts-related careers, almost 10 times the national average of 4.11% for workers ages 16 to 24 employed in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector.
Although the New Orleans program is still relatively new, Bloomberg Philanthropies reports encouraging local results. The percentage of participants who said they felt prepared for the workforce increased by 20 percentage points from the beginning to the end of the internship, while nearly 90% of the 2025 cohort reported feeling professionally prepared by the end of the program.
Because the program only expanded to New Orleans in 2024, organizers said it is still too early to track long-term employment or mentoring relationships between local employers and former interns.
Preparing Students for an AI-Driven Economy
Eumann said the internship program is becoming increasingly relevant as employers seek workers with adaptable, human-centered skills that artificial intelligence cannot easily replace.
“A foundation of creativity and what used to be called ‘soft skills’ like collaboration, understanding ambiguity and emotional intelligence are essential for entry-level candidates amid ongoing AI disruptions and a competitive job market,” she said. “The cultural sector can be a welcoming environment to build some of these skills.”
Interns work in positions ranging from customer service and visitor engagement to education, finance, accounting and administrative support, exposing students to a range of workplace functions and professional environments.
Citing the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, Eumann said creative thinking consistently ranks among the most important workforce skills identified by employers. She also pointed to LinkedIn research showing that nine in 10 global executives say soft skills and transferable abilities such as creativity and adaptability are more important than ever.
“Students participating in the Bloomberg Arts Internship gain hands-on experience and develop skills that are increasingly valuable in a rapidly changing workforce,” Eumann said. “The program trains students to think critically, ask better questions, communicate effectively and connect meaningfully with others, making them not just ready to work in an AI-augmented world, but equipped to help shape it.”
This year also marks the program’s expansion into two additional cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco, further extending Bloomberg Philanthropies’ workforce development initiative nationwide.
