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
More than 750 employers have posted internship opportunities to this
website.
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.
Participation EligibilityAll 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.
PlanningYou 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.
SupervisionDue 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.
Meaningful AssignmentsInternships should provide students with opportunities to understand
important concepts, develop essential skills, and apply what they learn 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.
CompensationInternships may be paid or unpaid.
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.
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 fax or email. You will
need to schedule face-to-face interviews. Resumes, transcripts and
references should be requested. Describe the job duties, the training that
will be provided, the 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.