Coca-Cola UNITED’s Annual ‘Pay It Forward’ Internship Opportunity
Students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (“HCBU”) in UNITED’s southeastern footprint have the opportunity to apply for Coca-Cola UNITED’s annual ‘Pay It Forward’ Internship Contest
The internship experience is a part of the companywide “Pay It Forward” program, which aims to provide African-American youth with opportunities to celebrate students’ achievements and further their success.
Those selected for the prestigious program will be given the opportunity to participate in a week-long internship at a Coca-Cola UNITED facility. The program offers students firsthand experience in a range of roles available at Coca-Cola, including operations management, packaging, pricing, event planning and philanthropy.
The contest is open to those age 18 years or older at time of entry, and they must be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate college student at a participating Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
Participating schools include: Alabama State University, Miles College, Stillman College, Talladega College, Tuskegee University, Southern University, Grambling State University, Xavier University, Alcorn State University, Dillard University, Clark-Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University, Savannah State University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Albany State University.
Initially, the program wasn’t available outside of the state of Alabama. In 2018, UNITED expanded the program to include schools throughout the seven-state footprint where Coca-Cola UNITED operates.
The company has continued to expand the program and in 2018 began including schools throughout the seven-state footprint where Coca-Cola UNITED operates.
“We are proud to invest in the future workforce of America and are looking forward to working with the ‘Pay it Forward’ Interns,” said John H. Sherman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED. “Our goal through this program is to encourage these outstanding young adults and enable them to further develop career goals as they plan for their next phase in life.”
Required: Rules & Guidelines .pdf (2019)
Coca-Cola Bottling Company UNITED, Inc., founded in 1902 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, is the second largest privately held Coca-Cola bottler in North America and the third largest bottler of Coca-Cola products in the U.S. Among the franchises operated by UNITED include Chattanooga, the world’s first Coca-Cola bottler, and Atlanta, headquarters of the worldwide Coca-Cola System. UNITED has approximately 10,000 associates located in 53 sales and distribution territories, and nine production facilities, across seven southeastern states.