How to Create an Internship Program

Internships are mutually beneficial partnerships. Employers who create internship programs get the benefit of the time and efforts of young people eager to learn the inner working of a job, while interns have the chance to see what a job is all about before entering the job market. It also provides the opportunity for a company to potentially have an trained employee waiting in the wings after college graduation.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Research the Legalities of an Internship Program

1. Check the Department of Labor's regulations regarding compensation for interns. For the most part, if an intern cannot be classified as a non-employee ("learner/trainee") or isn't receiving college credit, you must pay him minimum wage. A learner/trainee is identified as someone whose internship isn't taking another employee's job, has no guarantee of a job at the end of it, doesn't provide financial benefit to the employer and has training beneficial to the intern, similar to what he could learn in a vocational program.

2. Work with your attorney to create a formal internship agreement that includes appropriate documentation of the jobs for which the intern is to be trained, in addition to a confidentiality clause and information pertaining to the rate of compensation (if any) the intern can expect to receive.

3. Know your liability. Though an intern may not be a paid employee, you can still be legally liable for any of her actions while she is with your company. Check with your insurance carriers to see whether coverage is limited for interns. For example, if you run a bus company, make sure that your intern is covered under your company's auto insurance before allowing her to drive the buses.

4. Maintain ongoing documentation in regard to the intern. Create the goals and objectives of each component of the internship and document whether the skills been taught, as well as specific comments as to the intern's progress and when and how each goal was met.

Implement the Details of an Internship Program

1. Partner with a local university or college to locate students in need of internships to complete a program of study. Many programs require some on-the-job experience, and colleges maintain a database of companies to whom they can send interns. Know how many hours an intern must put in per week to obtain course credit as well as what the college expects from an employer in terms of documentation.

2. Provide worthy work assignments for interns, as an internship is a time for learning the ins and outs of the entire job. Allow interns to sit in on meetings, help organize projects and practice the skills that the job entails.

3. Supervise interns closely to maximize their learning. An intern should have a mentor he can turn to with questions and help with his workload. In turn, the mentor needs to provide constructive feedback on an intern's performance and provide background information about the company and its inner workings.

4. Expect interns to adhere to the policies and work schedule of your company just as you would any other employee. While she is working for your company, she is subject to the same rules as everyone else, which means you must also provide copies of pertinent polices and offer any relevant safety training.

Tips & Warnings

• Allow for an evaluation process after the internship is complete. Set a meeting time in which you can sit down with an intern and have an open dialogue about his experience, in which you can speak not only about how he performed but also of his impressions of the company and job.