Offering a pool internship or scholarship program provides numerous benefits, including the opportunity to:
1. Build a stronger talent pipeline and attract future employees
Internships and scholarships help your pool connect with emerging professionals early in their college-to-career journey. These programs introduce students to pooling, showcase career opportunities and create a pipeline of candidates who already understand your organization and mission.
2. Increase awareness of pooling careers
Internships and scholarships help your pool stand out in a competitive hiring landscape. They introduce students, faculty, career centers, coaches and other influencers to pooling while generating interest in rewarding career opportunities.
3. Add capacity and support key initiatives
A well-designed internship program provides cost-effective support for special projects, seasonal demands and strategic initiatives. Interns help your team accomplish more while gaining valuable experience.
4. Gain a competitive edge by diversifying your workforce
Internships and scholarships help pools connect with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, worldviews and experiences. They also help pools better understand the expectations, priorities and workplace trends shaping the next generation of professionals.
5. Improve hiring outcomes and reduce recruitment costs
Internships and scholarships allow pools to build relationships with potential employees before they enter the workforce. According to Forbes, companies offer full-time positions to 72 percent of their interns, and nearly 80 percent of those interns accept the offer.
6. Encourage innovation and fresh thinking
Interns bring new ideas, perspectives and approaches that help pools challenge assumptions, improve processes and identify growth opportunities. Our Intelligence issue, Elevating Pool Governance Through Inclusivity, highlights research showing that diverse teams innovate more effectively, adapt more quickly and achieve stronger business results.
7. Develop current employees
Internship and scholarship programs give existing employees opportunities to strengthen their mentoring, supervision, communication and project management skills while helping develop the next generation of pooling professionals.