Employers / FAQs

• Considering an Intern

  What are the benefits of employing interns?

  • Increase business productivity.
  • Frees up professional staff to pursue higher level projects.
  • Opportunity to evaluate prospective employees virtually risk free.
  • Reduce recruitment and training costs.
  • Access to year-round source of motivated pre-professionals.
  • Brings new and innovative ideas to an employer.
  • The average age of our students is 28 years old. This implies you could interview a mature intern who brings other talents and ideas to the table. Many are veterans.
  • Allows the employer the opportunity to have an impact on molding the lives of student interns.
  • The college provides Workers Compensation Insurance for unpaid interns.

   
  

  Will you send me an intern immediately?
  No. Internships are offered through an academic program, Work Experience Education (WEE). Students earn college credit for an internship course, WE-186  or WE-189; hence an intern may begin an internship at the start of each term. The Internship staff needs six to eight weeks to identify a student to apply and not all internships get filled at the first recruitment. If you need an intern right away, consider securing an employee through a staffing agency.
  
  

  How do I go about offering an internship?
  Review the Internship Requirements and Check-List, both found on this website. If you are prepared to offer the minimum hours, someone to mentor the intern, and provide a meaningful learning experience, you are a likely candidate to offer an internship.
   

  I am a home-based business; can I offer an internship?
  In order for a home-based business to qualify to participate in the Internship Program, the employer must carry a General Liability Insurance policy valued at a minimum of $1,000 000. The employer is required to provide the Internship Office with a copy of the General Liability cover page.

  How many hours can an intern work?
  Employers will be expected to provide the intern with a minimum of 54 hours over the course of a term so that they can enroll in a Work Experience (WE) course. The minimum hours are set by the state and are tied directly to the number of units the intern enrolls in for WE. You can work out the details at the time you interview candidates. Interns unable to complete the hours may fail their internship class, impacting their academic career. Refer to the chart below for required hours.

  Minimum Hours Required
  Units Enrolled	Paid & Unpaid Internships
  1	54 hours
  2	108 hours
  3	162 hours
  4	216 hours

  
  What kind of schedule can I expect an intern to work?
  Since interns attend college and have other life commitments, it’s wise to be flexible. Most employers provide a two-day schedule such as Tuesday and Thursday and a few ask for a three-day schedule such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It’s reasonable to ask for a 4-6 hour shift, but ultimately the intern will identify a schedule they can work. If your hours are not flexible, write the schedule requirement in the job description.

   

   

• Connecting with an Intern

  How do I receive applications?
  The Internship Program facilitates the application process through an online database known as Career Connect by Jobspeaker. Employers create a company profile and post the internship job description. Students apply directly through Jobspeaker by submitting their resume. You will receive an email announcing a student is interested including the students resume from news@jobspeaker.com. This is a no-reply email. As a courtesy for employers posting internships, the Internship Office staff will also send the resume to the employer via email.
   

  How do I contact the student?
  The employer contacts the student for an interview using the information in the resume. Additionally, the employer notifies the student whether they have been selected for the internship; this includes regrets. Once you decide on a candidate, the employer must contact the Internship office with the students name and anticipated start date at (661) 362-3309 or internships@canyons.edu. This will initiate an action on our end to ensure the student enrolls in the appropriate WE course, and, for unpaid interns, enrollment sets Workers Compensation Insurance in place.
  
  

  What types of projects are best suited for interns?
  Employers should provide interns 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 offer 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 should be mentored and are expected to learn generally accepted business principles, standards and work ethics.

  What do I do if an intern isn't working out?
  If the intern is not working out, or a situation arises, meet with the intern directly to discuss concerns and plan to correct the situation. As a mentor, you can set goals with the intern to achieve desirable work habits. If you want to move forward with termination, notify the intern and contact the Internship Office with your decision at (661) 362-3309 or internships@canyons.edu. 
  
  

   

   

• Length of time for an Internship

  How long does the internship last?
  Since internships are offered through a college course beyond worksite hours, naturally the internship start and end dates surround the length of the semester. Below is a chart with the typical semester length. Remember, interns may begin working their internship hours upon registration in a WE course and registration may occur a month or more before the term starts. Internships typically last the entire semester, but ultimately conclude when the intern has completed their hours. All interns must complete the hours they committed to based on units enrolled by the last day of the semester. Term start and end dates fluctuate up to a week each year.

  Term	Registration Time-line	Lenth of Term	Mid-term Time-line	End of Term
  Winter	Registration begins in late September	5-week term begins in January	No mid-term offered	Term ends in early February
  Spring	Registration begins in November	12 to 14-week term begins in February	Mini 8-week term begins mid semester in March	Term ends in late May or early June
  Summer	Registration begins in February	8-week term begins in June	No mid-term offered	Term ends in early August
  Fall	Regisration begins in May	12 to 14-week term begins in August	Mini 8-week term begins mid semester in October	Term ends in mid-December