Please login...
Username:
Password:
Lost Password or Username?

Internship Definition
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) defines the term "internship" as follows: a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.

An internship is a legitimate learning experience benefiting the student and not simply an operational work experience that just happens to be conducted by a student. The work performed by an intern must advance the education of the student.

To ensure that an experience – whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually – is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all of the following criteria must be met:

1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The skill or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
4. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
5. There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
6. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

Benefits
Research shows that internship programs like Cooperative Work Experience Education are the first place employers look to hire qualified employees.

According to the National Association of Colleges & Employers, employers who have the opportunity to observe an intern’s skills and talent on the job often hire them. In fact, 50.5% of interns are "converted" to full-time employees.

According to CNNMoney.com:

•  Firms are hiring a larger number of their entry-level workers from their intern pool
•  Most firms now look at these workers as future full-timers
•  A key reason interns tend to perform better once they are hired is because companies have two-three months to evaluate them and pick the best ones for full-time positions. Many employers use internships as extended interviews for full-time employees. How students do during internships tell recruiters more than interviews or resumes ever could.

Interns...
• Increase productivity
• Reduce recruitment and training cost
• Introduce innovative, fresh ideas and talent
• Provide outstanding assistance to overloaded employees
• Often become reliable and skilled permanent employees

Participation Eligibility
All legitimate organizations are eligible to submit internship opportunities through our free online posting system. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, non-profit organizations and most licensed businesses may submit an internship opportunity. Home-based businesses are typically not eligible for this service.

Your internship postings will be screened and activated only if they are consistent with the guidelines stated below. Final decision regarding eligibility will be at the discretion of the Director of Cooperative Work Experience Education.

Home-based businesses are typically not eligible to participate in this program. However, some exceptions do exist, such as licensed, permitted, and insured home-based businesses. If you are operating a home-based business and want to participate in the internship program, please contact the CWEE Office to discuss your eligibility.

Planning
You should post internships several weeks before the expected start date. This will allow adequate time to interview, screen and select the most suitable candidate. You should follow standard recruiting and hiring procedures: company application, screening, interviewing, fingerprinting, background check, etc. The length of an internship can vary, as can the amount of responsibility interns are given. Interns typically take on additional responsibilities as their experience grows.

· Paid interns earn one unit of college credit per 75 hours of work during a semester
· Unpaid intern earn one unit of college credit per 60 hours of work during a semester

Supervision
Due to the educational and training elements of internships, it is critical that interns are sufficiently supervised. It is recommended that the supervisor plan regular meetings with the intern to stay current with the intern’s progress. Supervisors should realize that internships are intended to be mutually beneficial. Interns will provide useful assistance for your organization while also gaining on-the-job training that will assist them with their future careers.

The employer and the Community College Instructor/Coordinator shall share responsibility for on-the-job supervision, which shall include but not be limited to:

1. Instructor/Coordinator "in-person" consultation with employers or designated representatives to discuss students' educational growth on the job.
2. Written evaluation of students' progress in meeting planned on-the-job learning objectives.
3. In-person consultation with students to discuss students' educational growth on the job.

Meaningful Assignments
Internships should provide students with opportunities to understand important concepts, develop essential skills, and apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world problems and opportunities in the workplace. Supervisors should ensure the assignment of challenging projects and tasks, which would be recognized within the business/industry as a valuable experience. Whenever possible the intern should be included in meetings and organization events. Interns are expected to learn generally accepted business principles, standards and work ethics.

Compensation
Internships may be paid or unpaid.

Compensation plans based on commission, incentives, or bonuses are not eligible for participation in our program.

Paid Internships
The Department of Labor requires that paid interns be paid at least minimum wage. Intern wages vary. Please research wage ranges within your industry and geographic area.

Unpaid Internships
According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the following six requirements apply to unpaid internships:

1. The work performed is an extension of a trade studied by the student. Although the training might include equipment and procedures specific to the employer, it must consist primarily of experiences similar to those offered in a vocational school. It's not enough just to put the interns to work with supervision.
 
2. The training must be primarily for the benefit of the intern. For example, the intern earns college credit or valuable work experience. That means the intern can't just be making coffee, running errands, or catching up on filing. Although such tasks might be incidental to the position, the majority of the experience must be designed with the intern's education in mind.

3. The intern must not displace regular employees and must work under close observation. Farming out work to unpaid interns after a regular employee quits would raise a red flag.

4. The employer gains no “immediate advantage” from the student’s work. The courts consider billing clients for work performed by an intern an immediate advantage. Although an internship program will benefit an employer's business over the long term by providing a pool of trained applicants with familiar work habits, it's not meant to be a source of free labor.

5. The employer makes no promise of future employment.

6. The intern understands that he or she is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship or in training.

Learn more...

Insurance, Unpaid Internships
The College District shall, pursuant to the provisions of Education Code Section 78249, be considered the employer of students participating in the work experience program as unpaid interns for the limited purpose of providing worker's compensation insurance and shall provide such insurance at the District's own cost and expense.

The internship partner (employer) shall maintain Commercial General Liability insurance with a limit of not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) to protect the internship partner and the College District against liability or claims of liability which may arise.

Unpaid Internship Agreement
Acceptance of an online “Unpaid Internship Agreement” will be required when posting an unpaid internship to our database. Click on the following “Learn more…” link to review the agreement prior to registering as an employer and new internship partner.

Learn more...

Documentation
The intern will deliver a letter to the employer, on College of the Canyons letterhead, indicating that the intern is enrolled in Cooperative Work Experience Education, an elective credit program offered by California Community Colleges throughout the state. Meaningful Workplace learning objectives or project-based learning objectives must be briefly and clearly documented on a one-page form, which will be provided by the intern. (However, the form is available here for your review.) The supervisor and intern should create mutually agreed upon learning objectives. Well-documented workplace objectives provide clear direction and targeted goals for the intern. Effective objectives are concise and measurable. This process is similar to “Management by Objectives”, an interactive process of defining objectives. MBO aims to increase organizational performance by aligning goals and objectives throughout the organization.

Orientation and Policies
It is important that interns be provided with an adequate workspace and a warm introduction to your organization. After an intern is selected, provide the intern with work schedule and any and all necessary policies, procedures, codes and agreements including but not limited to: property/ownership rights, privacy, non-disclosure, non-compete, absence policy, dress code, employee conduct, employee safety, ethics, confidentiality, drug testing, computer and networking use, etc..

Note: Equal Employment Opportunity laws apply to the employment of interns.

Process
Students will search internship postings and complete online applications. Students initially will not see the name of your organization. Student applications will be sent to your organization via email. You will need to schedule face-to-face interviews. Resumes, transcripts and references should be requested when the interview is scheduled. Describe the job duties, the training that will be provided, the work hours and who will supervise the intern.

I understand that I must give the CWEE office the name of any and all College of the Canyons interns selected by my organization before they begin training or employment.