Valuable Creative Business High School and College Internship Programs

Major Organizations Operate Internship Programs Each Year

Government organizations, accredited colleges and universities and public and privately owned companies operate internship programs each year. As a creative business leader who offers valuable internship programs that high school graduates and college students can participate in, you can discover new talent. You can also set your company apart as a firm that values education, innovation and economic recovery.

Benefits aside, before your creative business hires interns, establish employment criteria, workforce performance review guidelines and intern job descriptions. Work with your human resource management team to establish firm-wide college internship programs, including accredited colleges and universities your creative business will build relationships with to source for qualified intern candidates. Also establish guidelines around salaries ranges (starting and ending hourly or annual wages) you’re willing to pay interns. Additional factors that can set your creative business internship programs apart as top programs include: 

• Orientation programs for new interns (for example, if your business has a summer and winter intern program you can have two orientations a year for incoming interns)
• Policies around time off for interns (including steps interns need to take to request time off)
• Opportunities for interns to lunch and network with members of your senior management team
• Chances for interns to learn more about your business products and services, including trends impacting your business
• Policies and procedures that outline steps interns must take to become full-time employees at your firm 

You Want Your Student Internship Program to Generate Positive Exposure

Also consider inviting interns to staff meetings, quarterly business reviews and team building events. And definitely give interns work that requires them to do more than grab you and other employees refreshments and make copies of business documents. Remember that you want your internship program to generate positive word-of-mouth exposure. That said, to ensure managers at your creative business respect college interns’ time and commitment to helping your firm grow, consider working with your human resource team (if you don’t have an internal human resource team, you can always work with an external human resource firm) to train managers regarding steps they can take to get the most out of college internships. 

High school and college internship programs work. Government agencies and private employers have used the programs for years as a way to introduce senior level college students to the business world. Furthermore, internship programs make it possible for you to learn about talented high school graduates and college students, young adults who are gaining the education and experience that may help take your company to the next level. Because people participating in internship programs work directly at your firm, you also gain opportunities to ask interns questions, gauging their interest in (and knowledge about) your products, services and the industry your creative business operates in.  

Check out Long Walk Up and Love Pour Over Me at www.chistell.com 

Sources:

http://www.internshipfinder.com (Internship Finder)

http://www.usajobs.gov/ei/internships.asp (USA Jobs: Federal Career Intern Program)