Today’s young professionals are skilled individuals looking for opportunities to separate themselves from the pack. Organizations that offer a well-planned internship program can help provide that opportunity and simultaneously reap the rewards. When we talk about internship programs we don’t mean grabbing coffee and making copies, we’re talking about first-hand experiences and skills that will prepare a young individual for future employment.

Internship programs are beneficial to employers because they offer a way to bring in new perspectives, create a pipeline for new hires and provide mentorship opportunities for existing employees. Interns are more likely to stay at a company than employees who did not participate in an internship program. Having a clear purpose and goal for your internship program will be the leading factor in your program’s success. The most attractive internships will have structured training, fair compensation, give a ton of valuable feedback, and expose an intern’s work. Read why it’s important to pay your interns here, here, here & here. By providing well-rounded programs with meaningful work, your organization gains positive contributions from your interns while grooming candidates for a seamless transition into full-time positions.

Internship programs foster growth within young individuals and the organization itself. It pays to invest in developing new talent, especially when those recruits can likely become essential players in your organization down the road. Inters may also be helpful in filling a knowledge gap in your organization. Have a short-term project that needs a certain skillset? An intern may be the perfect fit for this task.

Blog post contributed by the Nonprofit Learning Lab.

Last updated on July 27th, 2023 at 04:12 pm