Developing an Internship Program

1
Developing an Internship Program

• Gaining Student Skills,
• Energy, and Creativity

2
What is an internship?

• A temporary work experience wherein a student
  performs pre-professional work in support of an
  organizations goals.

3
Employer Benefits

• The talent of students educated in Nebraska
  colleges and universities
• New staff with a minimal learning curve
• New skills and ideas for the organization
• Enhanced campus and community public relations
• Potential candidates for full-time positions

4
Determining Intern Activities

• Areas in need of development
• Projects put on the back-burner
• Start to finish projects
• Examples include
• Design of promotional materials
• User surveys, demographic surveys
• Improvements to processes
• Design and implementation of systems
• Workshop development and delivery
• Research projects and written reports

5
The Job Description

• The majority of an interns tasks should involve
  professional activities, providing the student a
  solid learning experience.
• A good job description will
• Outline responsibilities/activities
• State required qualifications
• Specify outcomes, deliverables
• Identify learning opportunities for student
• Describe compensation, benefits
• Determine hours/time commitment

6
Supervising the Intern

• Employer determines reporting lines and direct
  supervisor
• Supervisors should be
• Enthusiastic about program
• Willing and able to spend time with interns
• Interested in teaching, working with interns
• Knowledgeable in technical areas
• Comfortable providing on-going feedback

7
Recruiting Interns

• Identify needs/opportunities within the
  organization
• Prepare internship job description
• Contact local NCCSA career center to advertise
  opportunity
• Receive and evaluate resumes of interested
  students
• Interview candidates of interest
• Offer position to selected candidate

8
Compensation

• Although some students will accept unpaid
  internships, most partially fund their education
  and are unable to do so.
• Typically Nebraska colleges and universities do
  not provide funding to employers to hire interns.

9
Academic Credit

• Policies differ by institution, no guarantee
  intern will receive credit
• Credit may or may not apply to overall graduation
  requirements
• Most interns who receive academic credit will
  incur related tuition and fees

10
International Students

• Most are eligible to work as a paid intern with
  minimal paperwork completed by the employer.
• Students coordinate their experience with their
  campus international affairs office.

11
Documenting the Internship

• A memorandum of understanding or agreement
  between the student and the organization
• Formal feedback in an evaluation

12
Developing an Internship Program

• Questions?
• Contact any NCCSA member
• www.nccsa.info