PPB May 2016

More than 56 percent of students from

the class of 2015 who participated in an

internship or co-op program had received at

least one job offer by April of last year,

according to a report from the National

Association of Colleges and Employers, as

cited in a recent article in

U.S. News & World

Report

. Only 36.5 percent of undergrads who

didn’t have an internship or co-op experience

had received at least one job offer.

When I was an undergraduate, intern-

ships meant the difference between graduat-

ing and not, as a minimum of six months as

an unpaid intern was a degree requirement.

Additionally, the internship program required

the student to work a minimum of 20 hours a

week for an organization directly related to

the student’s chosen degree. This was an

unprecedented opportunity for the school to

create an external education platform that, in

my experience, was just as valuable as four

years in the classroom.

It’s a model being developed throughout

the collegiate system. At some schools, the

student works in exchange for course credit,

and internships coordinated through schools

are almost always unpaid. But an intern pro-

gram should be one that challenges students,

and helps them seek out new career potential

and one that hopefully has reciprocal value.

How To Make Internships Work

The promotional products industry offers

a fun, creative and unique landscape for stu-

dents to achieve their academic goals. There

are many companies in our industry, both sup-

pliers and distributors, that participate in colle-

giate intern programs. This is a way to show-

case our industry and to highlight the possibil-

ities that our industry holds, not only for a

potential employee, but for a future marketer.

58 •

PPB

• MAY 2016

THINK

MANAGE

MENT

Develop Your

Millennial

Sales Force

INTERNSHIPS HAVE BECOME a critical next step for undergrad-

uate students in order to align themselves with successful and viable

careers. Toward that end, colleges and universities are seeking to con-

nect students with opportunities for on-the-job training in an attempt

to increase their likelihood of career success. Internship programs are a

critical link in the overall learning experience and whether a student

attends a trade school, art school, Ivy League university or community

college, the intent is the same: to send students into their careers hav-

ing had the opportunity to learn critical skills firsthand.

HOW TO TAP INTO THE POWER OF INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS

Part Two In A Series •

By Seth Barnett

“It is important to establish goals and training methods for your intern

program and ensure that you are actively evaluating the goals.”