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How to Create an Internship Program
1. COMMITMENT FROM KEY PEOPLE WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION
- Mentors – “guide, source of advice and sounding board”
- Supervisors – giving daily assignments and feedback
- Meaningful, challenging projects
2. PRIOR TO HIRING (logistics)
- Who is responsible for each activity
- Qualifications and requirements for applicants, submission deadlines, length of experience, guidelines for quality assignments and student evaluation
- Payment and other compensation (if any) available for interns
- Workplace requirements: information on health and safety, dress code, working hours, benefits, insurance, etc.
- Create supervisor/mentor trainings so that interns get the best experience possible
- Housing, travel, desk/office space
- Write out goals so everyone is on the same page
3. MARKETING YOUR PROGRAM
- UNC – Chapel Hill Internship Fair
- Post positions on UCS Database
- Have resumes of qualified candidates referred to you
- Host an on-campus presentation
- Have UCS Internship Coordinator send targeted emails to students
4. PROJECTS
- Training/orientation (company information, resources/introductions, expectations, specific description, feedback, etc)
- Meaningful, substantial responsibilities
- Not 100% administrative
- Ongoing professional development (seminars, executive luncheons, attending/observing meetings, etc.)
5. EVALUATION
- Honest feedback throughout internship
- Accept feedback from interns on how to improve internship program
6. BENEFITS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION (WIN-WIN)
- Create future leaders in your organization
- Introduce students to your industry/field
- Find next full-time hire
- Lowers recruitment costs when interns turn into employee’s
- New perspective to old problems
Sources: Indiana INTERNnet: Steps for a Successful Internship Program;
Internweb.com: Designing an Effective Internship Program; Clemson University,
Michelin Career Center: Internship Handbook for Employers – Tips
for Creating and Maintaining Successful Internships; Boston College Career
Center: Creating Effective Internships; Patterson, Valerie: The Employer’s
Guide – Successful Intern/Co-op Programs: How to Build a successful
program (www.naceweb.org)
Questions, comments? Email us
at ucs@unc.edu
919-962-6507
