Internships have become a vital component of the education and training landscape, even being a requirement to graduate in many college programs. They not only provide the student with real world experience and a headstart in building professional connections, they provide employers with an opportunity to screen potential future staff and directly influence the next generation of employees entering the workforce. For these reasons, an internship should feel like so much more than a “summer job”, for both the intern and the employer.

In 2021, Crossflow Technologies of Huntsville, AL decided to completely redesign its summer program to create a more meaningful and impactful experience for its college interns. It has enjoyed two very successful years so far. Outlined below are six key elements of that program.

Professional Development Training

Most interns are college students, so it is important to make the experience an educational one. This can be accomplished through a variety of professional development options, like soft skills training or lunch-and-learns.

Many young interns, especially in highly technical or scientific fields, may feel comfortable working on a project or in a lab, but will lack interpersonal communication skills and will be unfamiliar with the corporate work environment in general.

Interns can actually benefit significantly from training in these “work culture” areas, such as how to compose an internal email, how to run a staff meeting, or what to expect during a performance review.

Mentorship

Another great approach is creating formal mentorship or coaching pairs.

Formal does not have to mean stuffy or boring, though. At Crossflow Technologies, interns met with their designated mentor periodically throughout the summer and they were encouraged to go beyond simply meeting over lunch. The intern and their mentor could even go offsite to do activities, like playing a round at Topgolf, going shopping, or walking in a local park.

This allows the intern to form a more personal relationship with an experienced worker while also learning more about the business and the industry.

Goals and Periodic Reviews

Setting goals and long-term planning are life skills that many young adults have not yet fully developed.

An internship presents a perfect opportunity to work with coordinators on establishing goals, receiving feedback, and achieving success through incremental growth. The program at Crossflow Technologies, for instance, includes an initial planning and goal setting session at the beginning, a midpoint review, and a final (scored) review at the end of the summer.

Additionally, interns who return for a second year or transition into employment, should have a refresher meeting, where they review their goals, progress, and feedback from the previous internship period.

Intern Project

Perhaps the biggest and most crucial element of an effective internship program, is assigning the interns a real, tangible project to complete during their tenure.

As college students, most interns are already very familiar with working in groups, creating presentations, and completing tasks, but the important distinction here should be stakes. The project should never be hypothetical, insignificant, or “busy work”.

It can also be beneficial to assign a project leader, a duty that can rotate each week or be attached to specific aspects of the project. This gives interns an opportunity to experience the challenges and responsibilities that come with a leadership role.

Hosting a Social Event

This one may seem a little out of place, but tasking interns with coordinating a social event is brilliant.

At Crossflow Technologies, the interns are responsible for hosting the end-of-summer internship celebration. They are in charge of picking the theme, planning activities, booking the venue, whatever is required.

This teaches them a number of important things: how to work within a budget, how to submit purchases through the business office, and how to coordinate with outside vendors and venues. Hopefully this experience also instills them with a deeper appreciation for administrative staff, whose familiarity with this type of work and local knowledge can be a huge asset.

Community Involvement through Volunteerism

Like many modern businesses, Crossflow Technologies operates Crossflow Cares, a 501(c)3 organization established through the Community Foundation of Greater Huntsville.

This allows them to directly support local community efforts and charities. Their summer internship team is tasked with identifying a local cause they would like to support, and then is responsible for coordinating a drive or fundraiser to support it.

This type of civic engagement or volunteerism is a requirement to graduate in some high schools and colleges, but is equally appropriate as a component to a well-rounded internship program.

Conclusion

Internships are a vital learning opportunity that can serve as a springboard into a successful career. In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that college students who engaged in an internship program were twice as likely to be engaged in their work and 1.5 times as likely to feel “thriving” in their overall well-being after leaving college.

It is important to remember that while every intern may not transition into a staff member, that individual will likely go on to be a part of the labor pool in the same industry, and their future success can reflect positively on the company that helped develop them.

Creating a significant, meaningful internship program takes time and effort, two resources businesses are always trying to preserve and protect, but the potential rewards are well worth the investment.