How a company creates an efficient internship program
Running an internship program represents not only a benefit for interns, who can have a first experience in the world of work during or after their studies, but also for the company itself. A company can recruit valuable resources that may bring new inputs to the everyday work, as well as providing in-house training to whom may become a future employee. The establishment of a successful internship program may increase the reputation of the company within a network of universities and other educational organisations, improving future recruitment process.
There are at least six key steps that makes a successful company internship program:
- Planning. A well-planned internship program needs to meet both the needs of employers and goals of interns. Setting earlier the length and the purpose of the internship program is a key factor in determining its efficiency.
- Recruitment: the search of the right candidates has to take into account their unique value in the company. Moreover, targeting existing networks may be an important step to find applicants who already have connections with the company.
- Selection: a tailored selection process allows identifying the most suited employees for the position. Soft skills are a key component to take into account in this phase.
- Training and Supervision: Quality Learning Yields Quality Work
- Evaluation and Feedback. A positive working environment where there is a beneficial exchange of feedbacks and guidance between the company and the interns is crucial to make the most of an internship program.
- Compensation and Benefits: provide paid internship for the time and energy intern invest in their work in the company and provide rewards for their successes.
In the meantime, the consortium of i-Coach project is ready to implement the piloting of the i-Coach Training Toolbox, composed of several modules that supports the implementation of a successful internship program.
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