quideemployeestudent

welcomeInternship and cooperative education

opportunities can be valuable experiences for students and employers. However, it is important to carefully plan for a workplace

educational experience to ensure success for both parties. This guide will help employers create meaningful programs that benefit the

workplace and the student learner.

Table of ContentsWhat is an internship.

What is the difference between an academic internship and a non-academic internship.

What is a cooperative education experience.

What is the difference between a paid and unpaid in-ternship.

Creating a succesful student employee experience.

What is an internship?

An internship is an educational opportunity for high school students or students enrolled in a higher education institution. Internships give students an opportunity to gain professional work experience and knowledge before entering his or her chosen career full-time.

The length of an internship varies but is typically 3-6 months.

What is the difference in an academic internship versus a non-academic internship?

Students can choose to complete internships for academic credit or non-academic credit. If a student is completing an internship for academic

credit, the duties assigned to the student must align with learning outcomes expressed by the education institution. Often times a faculty advisor will work

with the student in creating expected learning outcomes that the employer must agree to meet*. If a student is completing a non-academic internship,

usually the arrangements are made between the student and the employer; a faculty advisor is not involved.

*In the case of high school student academic internships, Workplace Learning Connection is a valuable intermediary network that can help employers

meet the educational requirements of the K-12 system. Please contact the Workplace Learning Connection, www.workplace-learning.org, for more

details on creating high school academic internships.

What is a cooperative education experience?

Cooperative education experiences are a combination of class-room based learning and on-site work experience. The experience is typically longer in length, usually 8-12 months, and is part of the

student’s academic credit.

What is the difference in a paid versus unpaid student employee?

The Department of Labor oversees the use of student employees in the professional workplace. If you are a for-profit employer, there are six criteria

that must be met in order to have an unpaid student employee. The six criteria are:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded*5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship

*This question usually raises several questions for employers. Employers have and continue to benefit from student employees; however, it is important to remember

that the experience must predominately benefit the student.

Creating a successful student employee

(intern/cooperative education) programStep 1:

Creating the job description

Just as a company create job descriptions for full and part-time employees, student employees

should also have a job description that outlines their responsibilities and expectations. The job description

should be clear about the hours that are expected, supervision of responsibilities, dress code, and appropriate behavior for the workplace.

Step 2: Creating responsibilities

Taking time at the beginning of the internship and designing specific job responsibilities and projects will help the employer

reap the benefits of the student employee. The student expectation of the experience is to gain real-world-experience,

which requires some planning on behalf of the employer. Students will quickly become disappointed if tasks are making copies or getting coffee refills. Allowing students to participate

in team meetings, manage projects, and oversee tasks until completion will leave the student feeling like he/she has gained

valuable experience from the internship. Again, creating the projects and tasks can take some time from the employer in the

planning stages, but the work from the student will be more meaningful for the employer as well.

For additional information on unpaid internships , see: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.pdf

paid/unpaid continued...Employers who choose to have paid interns, should be aware of minimum wage laws and other worker right laws. Please check with a local employment attorney for additional questions.

successful student employee

continued...

Ensuring that the student employee and supervisor have the ability to connect is important in ensuring success. Consider if the student employee will have access to his or her supervisor to ask questions? Will the supervisor be able to easily communicate with the student regarding projects? Communication must happen freely between both parties to ensure that both the student employee and supervisor are happy with the end result. In order to enhance communication, think about the location of the student’s workspace in relation to the supervisor; consider an email address and/or telephone number for the student and any other communication tools used in the workplace (instant chat features, etc).

Step 3: Creating a communication

networks

Step 4: Creating effective supervisors

Preparing supervisors to host a student employee is an important step in the process. While student employees are typically quick learners, this is an educational experience and supervisors must be reminded of that. Coaching supervisors to meet with the student periodically to discuss the following will have positive results for the student and supervisor:

- Positive reinforcement – what is the student doing well?- Constructive criticism – what areas can the student improve?- Creating short-term goals – what can both the employer and the student do to ensure goals are being met? - Allow the student to provide feedback about what is going well/ areas that are unclear

successful student employee

continued...

Step 5: Creating an orientation

When new employees are hired at companies, they often will go through an orientation;

the same should be true for a studentemployee. Orientations can be long or short in length,

depending on the company. At the very least, spend time introducing the student worker to the other staff members he or she may interact with,

where the restrooms are, how to use the email/phone systems, and any other company policies.

Step 6: Creating an evaluationAt the end of the internship, both the supervisor and the student employee should evaluate the experience. Ideally, both the student and the supervisor will have had a successful experience and will have accomplished goals set forth in previous meetings.

This document is written and published by Priority One.