Louisiana trails other Southern states in internships and apprenticeships for high school students. That’s why the Leaders for a Better Louisiana are alerting businesses about a new state tax credit employers can take advantage of if they hire interns or have an apprenticeship program.
“Trying to encourage employers to think about apprenticeships and internships as a way to build their workforce and have a little bit of incentive from the state to help them do that,” said Better Louisiana Chief Policy Officer Barry Erwin.
Erwin says providing internships and apprenticeships to young people can help enhance the workforce and help employers identify future full-time workers. He says the credit is available to businesses that make eligible hires this year, and they can claim the credit on their tax returns beginning in 2027.
“We can think that is an incentive that people will think about to use part of the cost of having the intern there while you are doing some on the job training for that student,” Erwin said.
Erwin says employers must employ the individual for at least 100 hours in the tax year to qualify.
“An employer hires a high school student as an intern, the state credit will be worth $2.50 per hour to whatever wage that employer is paying, up to $2,500 per eligible worker per year.