When run the right way, internships help shape the future of the workforce, both for young people, and the organizations they work for. Learn more about how to make running an internship simpler, and easier on your program. 

Interns. No longer code for barista, errand runner or busy-work doer. These folks, when trained and treated properly, can truly help organizations gain a competitive edge in the long term. Internship programs give people valuable skills, experience and connections early on in their career, enabling them to enter the workforce a step ahead of their peers. In today’s competitive job market, these things give candidates and the companies they worked for an edge, which when combined with other factors, like future planning, can help take your organization into the future with some significant strategic advantages.

Looking to the future?

Top talent starts out in the top internship programs; interns are the workforce of tomorrow. These programs help customers meet their future growth plans and to keep ahead of the market, so ask yourself:

• How is your internship program helping you compete in the war for talent?

Why build an internship program?

We like to think having an internship program is about creating a competitive edge, but more importantly it's a way to train young professionals, and give them the opportunity to begin creating their own success. To do this well, it's imperative to extend trust and give your interns real work. 

“I was surprised by how much freedom I got to do real work. I have help and support through the process, but at first I was a little taken aback by the projects I work on (I’m not just filing paperwork). The team lets me be independent while giving me guidance. If I move in the wrong direction, they correct me but don’t punish me.”

These are the words of former intern (current implementation specialist) Kyrstyn Dean. Giving our interns the room to learn and grow has not just helped them, it's helped our business. Here are some of the ways your organization can benefit from an internship program.

• Access to a talent pool that is not only tech-savvy, but on the cutting edge of the most recent research Administration of onboarding paperwork
• Fresh perspective & fresh ideas
• Opportunity to build brand equity with the next generation
• With brand equity comes better and more competitive applicants
• A pipeline of candidates for future roles, both permanent and contingent

What should companies be cautious of?

When it comes to working with interns, you could be concerned with the additional administrative burden this can create for your teams. Especially when it comes to on-boarding, payroll and tax or benefit questions, you want to make sure you have consistent systems in place that handle each moving piece properly. That’s why we always recommend our clients engage our Internship Management Solution. Here’s how it works:

• We facilitate all on-boarding activities around student schedules
• We provide high touch service tailored to first time job candidates
• Intern-specific compensation options including relocation, housing allowances, etc.
• Single point of contact for duration of internship, rather than passing the intern to a variety of HR and benefits experts
• Technology enabled eOn-boarding process including paperless payroll and HR solutions
• National coverage to accommodate on-site orientation for large intern populations

All of this gives you and your team more time to focus resources on the recruitment and mentoring of interns and less time on the administrative management. This lends to an environment where you can create a targeted, focused internship program that trains candidates and develops the connections and strategic advantages that a truly effective program needs to deliver. It also allows your internal HR, payroll and benefits teams to focus on what they need to without distraction and non-value-add work.

If you’re looking for ways to future-proof your organization, consider the workforce of the future, which starts with interns. But don’t bog your team down in the details, free up with time and you to focus on building the best program that truly will take your program and organization to the next level by adding only qualified, experience people to your team.