Break Through Tech offers undergraduate students technical skills training, professional readiness support, and real-world project experiences to help them attain in-college paid internships and post-college tech jobs or paid summer jobs. Program leadership commissioned a mixed methods evaluation of Break Through Tech’s two experiential, project-based learning programs: AI Studio, a one-semester, part-time, virtual program and Sprinternship, a three-week, full-time, hybrid program. The evaluation focused on employer engagement and participants’ (known as fellows) outcomes. 

The evaluation found that employers participate in AI Studio and Sprinternship to build diverse talent pipelines and develop staff leadership; most reported real-world use for fellows’ projects at their business. Employers rated their experiences with AI Studio and Sprinternship fellows highly and would recommend fellows for internships and permanent positions. 

Fellows in both programs reported an increased sense of belonging in tech, confidence in their skills, and desire to pursue a tech career. All three are critical to success in the tech sector. Fellows rated formal mentorship by an industry expert in AI Studio and informal mentorship by employer staff in Sprinternship as among their favorite aspects of their programs. Post program, over three-quarters of AI Studio fellows and half of Sprinternship fellows were placed in a paid internship, a key Break Through Tech outcome. By way of comparison, 43 percent of females in computing and information technology courses across the country participated in internships. Paid placements after program completion were common. Placement varied modestly by race, Pell Grant status, and host size. Paid internships strongly and positively correlate with early career earnings. Publicly available data suggests that Break Through Tech completers who finish their degree and go on to a tech job are expected to earn $90,000 or more after five years, on average.