If you're considering an intern, here are some questions to ask yourself:
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What special skills or new ideas could an intern bring to my organization?
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What tasks or backburner projects have been on my mind for a long time, but I just do not have time to get to them?
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What tasks are the easiest for me to explain to an intern and require minimal oversight on my part?
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What are low-risk tasks that I can test out with my first intern?
Why should you participate?
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By hosting an intern or participating in another type of career experience for high schoolers, employers have a direct hand in creating future employees.
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Employers benefit from positive public relations and workforce impact generated by their connection with and support of youth in communities. As a result, they are able to better attract and retain employees.
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Employers’ staff members are energized by new ideas and connections with youth that anchor their organizations to their communities, resulting in higher morale and productivity among existing workers.
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Employers increase their ability to implement their social responsibility pledges, community investment goals or strategic philanthropic endeavors—particularly in the area of direct community involvement of employees.
Benefits for Employers
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Youth build self-confidence and maturity by working with adults in a business environment.
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Youth increase their career preparedness and knowledge of the habits (skills and competencies) of work. Ultimately, youth understand their own interests and abilities as they relate to the world of work.
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Youth increase their skills to respond to the demands of the 21st-century workforce and economy. This includes navigating learning, life, and information technology; understanding
content knowledge and current topics; organizing and allocating resources; and working effectively with others.
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Youth strengthen and improve their academic success, with behaviors such as enhanced motivation, attendance, and engagement in learning.
Benefits for
Youth
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Internship programs can help encourage recent graduates to stay within their community or region after graduation. This decreases the chances of valuable talent leaving the area and positively impacting the local economy.
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By placing interns from local schools, internship programs serve as a channel for educational institutions to assure academic programs are being responsive to the needs of industry. Interns serve as valuable ambassadors of information back to their schools.
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Internship programs provide a vital bridge between business, education, and the community. Local communities can potentially thrive from an infusion of motivated and skilled workers that also become involved members of society. In addition, communities can benefit from exposure to new ideas that permeate from projects, research, or other internship program activities.
Benefits for the Community
How can employers, youth, and the community benefit from career experiences? Read below!
