Talent on a Shoestring: Internships offer win-win opportunity for employers and students
In an economy weighed down by uncertainty, layoffs and hiring freezes, smart companies in the Rochester area and across the country are turning to a group of highly motivated laborers willing to work hard for next to nothing and have fun doing it: interns.
It’s hardly a secret that interns come cheaper than hiring full-time employees, enabling companies to add talent without getting buried in payroll expenses. And from a hiring standpoint, there is no better way to achieve entry-level recruiting. Internships allow businesses to identify talent early and to expose that talent to their own business needs.
But despite the advantages, many business owners don’t have the time or money to create a well-managed internship program. That’s where services like the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection and other community intern programs come in.
Local Programs Help Make Internships Practical and Affordable
The Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection connects students ages 12 to 18 with employers who need help with entry-level work. Founded in 1987 by Wegmans Food Markets, the Hillside program today is supported by more than 30 companies in Rochester and Syracuse including Wegmans, the University of Rochester and Unity Health.
The benefits of hiring Hillside interns are plentiful, according to participating employers. During the past 22 years, the program has provided companies with a steady stream of talented students. By providing a number of life/work services to the students – including job readiness training as well as transportation to and from work – Hillside interns exceed employer expectations and maintain a low rate of job turnover, according to Gerry Pierce, senior vice president of human resources for Wegmans and chair of the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection.
But what’s particularly rewarding about the program is that it targets urban students who are at risk of dropping out of high school. Although these students face tremendous challenges (90 percent live below the poverty line), their success in this program is striking. Hillside work scholars graduate at almost twice the rate of non-participating students, and most continue on to college. Recently one participant received full scholarship offers to both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“These at-risk children have two choices: this program or a life on the streets,” Pierce said. “Through the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, we are redefining what success looks like.” There currently are more than 2,300 interns in the Hillside program, and the goal is to expand this program to 6,000 students in Rochester.
In addition to lending a helping hand to at-risk students, participating employers also benefit from a federal tax credit offered to for-profit companies that hire disadvantaged youth.
In an effort to make the use of interns even more affordable for small and mid-sized companies, Hillside will soon launch a Job Institute, which will supplement the wages of Hillside work scholars. As Pierce explains, the Institute “will allow companies to grow these kids into their future workforce at very little cost.” For more information about the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, visit www.hillside.com/Who/HWSC.htm.
RIT’s Co-op Program
Established in 1912, Rochester Institute of Technology’s Office of Co-op and Career Services provides employers with college-age students who are available for employment year-round. Interns come from a number of departments including the computer science, business, and engineering departments. “They can do any job you can imagine,” says Manny Contomanolis, associate vice president and director of RIT’s Office of Co-Op and Career Services.
Internships and co-ops have become increasingly popular with today’s students, Contomanolis said. Regardless of the title, their purpose is to introduce students to the world of work and provide value-added experiences to the traditional educational curriculum, while also offering a significant return on investment to employers.
Each year, 3,600 RIT students complete at least one co-op assignment, and 1,900 different employers across the country participate in the program. RIT conducts the preliminary vetting process and can assist with job-specific training, easing the burden on interested employers, Contomanolis added.
Intern Compensation
It’s a point of debate among educators and employers whether interns should receive compensation, especially because some college interns also receive college credit. In Contomanolis’ view, paying interns creates a more formal relationship, which leads students to contribute in more meaningful ways. Additionally, Department of Labor compliance is more straightforward when dealing with paid versus unpaid interns. Interns from RIT and the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection are paid.
If you choose to offer unpaid internships, understand that federal, state and perhaps local laws will require you to meet a set of criteria to ensure compliance. In general, unpaid internships are legal if the student is considered a “trainee.” That means he or she receives beneficial on-the-job experience, does not displace paid employees and is not guaranteed a job at the completion of the internship. Giving clerical work to an unpaid intern violates the Fair Labor Standards Act because all assignments must be for the benefit of the unpaid intern rather than the employer. These compliance issues can be avoided by paying interns, because with pay they are considered “employees” under federal labor laws.
A Custom Fit
Although there are many intern services available in Western New York, there are advantages to creating a unique program of your own, according to Sarah Hanson, chief marketing officer and lead digital strategist at Partners + Napier, a Rochester-based advertising firm. Launched in June of this year, Partners + Napier’s “BrandCamp” sponsors eight to 12 interns at a time and runs for three 10-week terms per year.
BrandCamp provides the agency with a talent pipeline of enthusiastic workers and “campers” are given unparalleled exposure to real client work, Hanson said. Interns receive valuable feedback, and gain an understanding of agency culture. They also receive lunch, parking and sometimes college credit.
The agency markets BrandCamp through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. It also posts advertisements in locations such as student bookstores.
“Interns must be managed and need to receive feedback, which does take effort, but it’s definitely worth it,” Hanson said. “Partners + Napier receives so many benefits from BrandCamp.”
Michael Chatfield, an account planner at Partners + Napier, suggests keeping three things in mind if you are interested in developing your own internship program:
- Organizations must provide leadership. The company must designate employees to run the program and provide guidance to interns.
- The program must be thoughtfully structured, with productive assignments and meaningful goals.
- Participants must derive a sense of purpose and belonging in their role as interns.
Conclusion
In a challenging economy, internships can offer a win-win situation for employers and students: Employers get to tap into a great source of talent and fill an organization’s pipeline with potential employees, while students gain hands-on exposure to the work environment. Internships also provide valuable resume-building experience and a chance to get a foot in the door at the sponsoring company. In Western New York, there are many successful internship services that can help companies – large and small – take advantage of this growing opportunity.
