To build a successful internship program at your pool, take the following steps:
1. Align the internship with your pool's strategic goals.
Answer and document the following questions:
- How will our future staffing needs differ from our current needs?
- Which areas of our operations face increased needs because of retirements, leaves of absence, restructuring, promotions, job changes or other factors?
- Which positions may become more difficult to fill in the future?
- Which departments need additional support to achieve strategic plan priorities?
- Could an intern help advance new initiatives or support key projects?
Pool Case Study
AGRiP member Public Risk Innovation, Solutions, and Management (PRISM) aligned its internship program with strategic workforce needs by identifying, discussing and documenting:
- Current and future staffing needs at five- and 10-year intervals
- Employees likely to advance internally and the staffing gaps those promotions could create
- Peak workload periods for each department and how those demands could affect the intern experience
- Departments with the capacity to train and mentor interns in person
- Assignments that would be easy to explain and recruit for when introducing students to pooling careers
- Risk transfer, labor law and compliance considerations related to employing interns
- Relationships needed with post-secondary institutions and opportunities to strengthen existing partnerships
2. Understand the requirements of post-secondary institutions.
Most post-secondary institutions support students seeking meaningful internship opportunities, but requirements vary by school. As you develop your program, familiarize yourself with the expectations of your target institutions.
Schools may require internships to:
- Occur while the student is enrolled in an internship course
- Last for an entire academic term
- Include a minimum or maximum number of hours per week
- Limit the amount of clerical or administrative work assigned to interns
3. Understand legal requirements.
Internship regulations vary depending on whether the position is paid or unpaid, offers academic credit and involves local, national or international students. Tax requirements and employment laws may also differ.
Work closely with college and university career centers to ensure your program complies with all applicable laws and regulations.
Resources
4. Develop the internship position.
Answer the following questions as you create your internship description:
- How does the internship support your pool's specific needs?
- Does the internship serve as a pathway to future employment?
- How does the internship support your strategic plan?
- Which projects, initiatives or activities will the intern support?
- Will the intern focus on one major project, several smaller projects or day-to-day departmental responsibilities?
- Which academic disciplines or areas of study best align with the role?
- What educational level should applicants have?
- Will the internship be paid, unpaid or offered for academic credit only? If paid, what compensation will you provide?
- How many hours per week will the intern work?
- Will the internship be in person, remote or hybrid?
- Where will the intern work, and what technology or equipment will they need?
- Who will supervise the intern?
- Who will serve as the mentor?
5. Assign a supervisor and mentor.
The most successful internship programs provide interns with both a supervisor and a mentor. Each serves a different role and offers a different source of support.
Supervisors typically spend two to four hours per week onboarding interns, monitoring performance, providing feedback and conducting evaluations.
Mentors help interns build professional networks, understand pool operations and navigate day-to-day questions. They also reinforce organizational values, workplace expectations and professional development goals.
Patient, flexible supervisors and mentors are critical to a successful internship experience. Most interns have limited experience in professional work environments and need guidance to understand workplace culture, organizational structure and how their work contributes to the pool's mission.
Internships help students build career-specific skills while exploring potential career paths.
6. Expect interns to ask more questions than traditional employees.
According to the Sacramento (CA) Employment and Training Agency, employers typically train entry-level employees to perform required tasks and then expect them to work with minimal supervision. Internships serve a different purpose.
Interns and supervisors work together to establish intentional learning goals that support the intern's professional development and career interests. As a result, interns often ask more questions, seek additional guidance and require more frequent feedback than traditional employees. Build time into the internship experience to support that learning process.
7. Recruit, support and evaluate interns.
Begin recruiting after identifying your pool's greatest area of need and developing a detailed internship description.
The recruitment process closely resembles hiring for part-time or full-time positions. Partner with post-secondary institution career centers to:
- Post internship opportunities on virtual and physical job boards.
- Gather and review applications.
- Identify candidates who meet minimum qualifications and preferred criteria.
- Interview qualified candidates, recognizing that some institutions may require on-campus interviews.
- Evaluate and rank candidates.
- Conduct reference checks with faculty members, academic advisors, activity advisors or coaches who can speak to a candidate's work ethic, teamwork and leadership abilities.
- Extend internship offers that clearly outline compensation, work schedules, start dates, benefits and program expectations.
After hiring an intern, provide a thorough onboarding experience that introduces pool policies, procedures and culture. Consider adapting your standard onboarding process to allow more time for questions, coaching and regular check-ins. Plan to communicate more frequently with interns than with traditional hires, particularly during the first few weeks.
At the conclusion of the internship, evaluate the intern's work, recognize accomplishments and discuss opportunities for continued growth. Ask interns to share feedback about their experience and identify ways to improve the program. Some post-secondary institutions may also require formal evaluations to confirm that students achieved appropriate academic and professional learning outcomes.
Finally, evaluate the internship program itself. Use feedback from interns, supervisors and mentors to strengthen the program and ensure it continues to support your pool's workforce needs, talent pipeline goals and partnerships with academic institutions.