Power in Partnerships

Connecting Students To Work Experience

An internship is on most students’ minds — an opportunity to jumpstart their professional careers and supplement their courses with hands-on experience. Graduating seniors who applied for a full-time job and participated in an internship received 20% more job offers than those without internship experience (NACE, 2019 Study).

Internships benefit both the student and the employee. On-the-job learning reinforces what you see in the classroom and teaches invaluable skills like time management, communication, working with others, problem-solving, and, most importantly, the willingness to learn. For employers, you can build relationships and prepare future employees.

Valuable Experience

Most college graduates will have to overcome a barrier to entry due to an experience requirement — something college students do not always get with their education. An internship provides students with first-hand experience, professional opportunities and personal growth.

Professional Network

An internship expands a studen’ts professional network. Interns often report to mid- to senior-level positions. These mentors can help guide you and provide helpful advice for your career path. Plus, students will meet others within the company who have diverse work experience and professional

REAL-WORLD APPLICATION

When working in a real-world environment, students will get to meet many people in the field they are interested in. Internships give students crucial network experience as they can exchange ideas and learn from employers, mentors, industry experts and more. These networks can then be added to a personal resource library that students can tap into for extra information or support in the future.

Career Discovery

Field experience in your major or study of interest is a great way to discover your career path. Many employers use interns as generalists to help complete a variety of tasks, allowing interns to gain new experience in different aspects of the company or business model. It may also be a good opportunity to learn whether the career is a good fit for your skill sets and interests.

An internship is a test drive of a student’s chosen career, and they are under no obligation to make a commitment. Maybe a student wanted to be a marketer, but the internship had some accounting responsibilities that they enjoyed more. You never know what might be learned from an intership.

STUDENT BENEFITS

300,000 PEOPLE INTERN EACH YEAR IN THE UNITED STATES

70% OF INTERNS ARE HIRED AT THE SAME COMPANY AFTER THEIR INTERNSHIP

60.8% ARE PAID POSITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

9-12% HIGHER SALARY FOR EMPLOYEES WITH NTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Sources: zippia.com, www.whattobecome.com/blog/internship-statistics

BUSINESS BENEFITS

71.4% THE ONE-YEAR RETENTION RATE FOR INTERN HIRES WITH INTERNAL EXPERIENCE

59% THE ONE-YEAR RETENTION RATE FOR INTERN HIRES WITH EXTERNAL EXPERIENCE

85% OF RESPONDING EMPLOYERS CITE INTERNSHIPS AS RECRUITING STRATEGY WITH HIGHEST ROI