Employer Internship Manual
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Internship Philosophy of Bucks
- What is an Internship?
- How Do Internships Benefit Employers?
- Beginning an Internship Program
- Responsibilities of Employers and Interns
- Ensure a Successful Internship
- Legal Considerations
- Resources
Introduction
Bucks County Community College recognizes that there are important elements of business and industry which cannot adequately be taught within the confines of the laboratory or classrooms at the College. Bucks offers students an Internship Program opportunity through the Center for Student Employment and Career Development. The goal of the internship program is to provide the student with on-the-job experiences supervised by successful, experienced professionals. This experience shall directly support the development of a student's career path. The employer shall gain a reliable, flexible and enthusiastic potential employee while assisting in the student's career preparation goals. This manual provides the employer with information regarding the Bucks County Community College Internship Program as well as information on implementing a successful internship program.
Internship Philosophy of Bucks
It is the goal of the Center for Student Employment and Career Development and the internship program to assist students with connections to business and industry for work-based learning opportunities. Internships can be part-time (most common) or full-time, paid or unpaid, and are offered by a wide variety of businesses and organizations. The duration or length of an internship can vary anywhere between 5-6 weeks, to a full semester (10 – 16 weeks) and/or summer (10 – 12 weeks), depending on the company. A typical intern usually works between 10 – 20 hours per week, but this can also vary by company. Students participating in a for-credit opportunity at Bucks, must meet all pre-requisites and register for the appropriate internship course.
What Is An Internship?*
An internship is any carefully monitored work or service experience in which a student has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what she or he is learning throughout the experience. Characteristics include:
- Duration of anywhere from a month to two years, but usually lasts from three to six months
- Generally a one-time experience
- May be part-time or full-time
- May be paid or non-paid
- Internships may be part of an educational program and carefully monitored and evaluated for academic credit, or internships can be part of a learning plan that someone develops individually
- An important element that distinguishes an internship from a short-term job or volunteer work is that an intentional “learning agenda” is structured into the
- experience
- Learning activities common to most internships include learning objectives, observation, reflection, evaluation and assessment
- An effort is made to establish a reasonable balance between the intern’s learning goals and the specific work an organization needs done
- Internships promote academic, career and/or personal development.
How Do Internships Benefit Employers?
- Year round source of highly motivated pre-professionals.
- Provide the opportunity to train your organization’s future workforce.
- Proven, cost-effective way to recruit and evaluate potential employees.
- Interns can be another source for the recruitment of diverse employees into your workforce.
- Students bring new perspectives to old problems. Interns bring current technology and ideas from the classroom to the workplace and therefore increase an organization’s intellectual capital.
- Visibility of your organization is increased on campus and in the community.
Beginning an Internship Program
Please review the Employer Guidelines designed to provide additional information on the Internship Program.
Designing an internship program that meets your needs
As varied as organizations are in age, size, industry, and product, so too are their internship activities. How do you know what kind of program will work best for you? Designing an internship program to meet your needs is as easy as five steps.
- Step 1: Set Goals and Policies for the Internship Program
- Step 2: Write a Plan for the Internship Opportunity
- Step 3: Recruit a Qualified Intern
- Step 4: Manage the Intern
- Step 5: Conduct Exit Interviews and Follow-up
Responsibilities
Overall Responsibilities of Employer
- Provide responsibilities and work experiences with proper supervision and guidance that are compatible with the student’s coursework at Bucks.
- Cooperate and communicate with the Bucks Program Internship Coordinator on matters of education, training, perceptions, and concerns relevant to the student’s performance in the workplace.
- Provide a safe workplace and advise the student of any dangers associated with the workplace.
- Provide a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the content and details of the work assignment so that it provides a variety of meaningful, educational experiences for the student.
- Assign a supervisor who will provide guidance, direction, and constructive criticism for the student.
- Assure that adequate time is available during normal working hours for the supervisor and student to have consultations, instruction, feedback and assessment of student progress.
- Provide a calendar of workdays, holidays and special company events that will affect the student.
- Provide the intern with an orientation of the office, introducing the intern to other staff members and providing an office tour.
- In cooperation with the student, Internship Coordinator and supervisor, develop a Student Internship Training Plan, which clearly states specific learning and training objectives. The suggested Orientation Outline included in the Resource section may be used.
- Provide required evaluations of the student’s performance for the internship assignments.
- Reimburse the student for any work-related travel or expenses incurred other than to and from work.
- Contact the Bucks Program Internship Coordinator (BIPC) in the event of special problems.
- Provide assurance to the College of compliance with Title IX, HEW Prohibition of Discrimination on basis of Sex, and Title VI, discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
- Provide a copy of the insurance certificate for Worker’s Compensation protection to the BIPC.
Responsibilities of Intern
- The intern must satisfy the employer’s job requirements
- Abide by the employer’s rules and regulations
- Seek internship worksite, with assistance from the Department Dean of their program of study.
- Complete and submit the Internship Interest Form (LINK) and contact the Department Dean of their program of study. Keep track of hours, provide employer with appropriate forms and submit all forms/reports to the appropriate Department Dean.
- Notify, through proper channels, both the College and the company immediately of any illness or emergency which may prevent the performance of assigned duties
- Meet the goals and objectives as outlined in the Internship Training Plan
- Submit all reports and papers required by the Department Dean (this may vary depending on the program of study and number of credits). If a credit course, grades are awarded after successful completion of requirements
- Accept the decisions of the employer and the Department Dean if it becomes necessary to terminate or change the conditions of the Internship assignment prior to the end of the original planned date
Ensure a Successful Internship
- Provide meaningful work.
- Provide honest feedback.
- Include the intern whenever and wherever possible.
- Explain all assignments.
- Be a mentor.
- Provide an intern workspace.
Legal Considerations
- Do you have to pay interns?
- Workers’ and Unemployment Compensation
- IMPORTANT: Points To Keep In Mind
Resources
- Sample Work Plan
- Sample Job Description - Marketing and Business Intern
- Sample Intern Job Description - Accounting Intern
- Sample Interview Structure
- Internship Memorandum of Understanding
- Sample Orientation Outline
- Sample Form Employer Evaluation of Student Intern
- Sample Exit Interview
*Adapted from materials published by the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE)