Develop an Internship Program
Optimize your future talent pipeline by investing early in emerging talent.
Onsite Workshop
Without a well-structured internship program, organizations:
- Are unable to address future skills gaps due to a limited conversation rate of intern talent to permanent employees.
- Risk providing a negative intern experience, resulting in a damaged employer brand.
By developing a structured internship program, organizations:
- Have the opportunity to assess new talent before bringing them on full time.
- Develop a strong talent pipeline to full-time hires.
- Address future skills gaps by engaging key talent early in their careers.
Module 1: Draft Program Structure
The Purpose
- The success of your internship program hinges on the shared value it creates for the business, the interns, and the community.
- Standardize and document Service Desk Supported Systems to better maintain the organization.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Go/no go decision.
- Business goals for the internship program.
- A clear and concise case for the program.
- Reduction of response and resolution times for recurring service requests.
- Creation of service request workflows.
Activities: | Outputs: | |
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1.1 | Review need for the program and define program goals and metrics. |
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1.2 | Outline program structure (i.e. level of centralization, program format). |
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1.3 | Assign stakeholder accountabilities. |
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Module 2: Define Roles and Target Audience
The Purpose
- A good internship program will ensure the assignment of a wide variety of challenging programs and tasks.
Key Benefits Achieved
- An internship work-plan.
- Relevant skills for recruiting internship candidates.
- An analysis of compensation options.
Activities: | Outputs: | |
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2.1 | Review and prioritize intern requests. |
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2.2 | Draft initial intern job descriptions (1-2). |
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2.3 | Create intern audience profiles. |
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Module 3: Prepare for Intern Recruitment
The Purpose
- Recruit interns in broadly the same way as regular employees to ensure the business value from the program.
Key Benefits Achieved
- Recruitment process and job description.
- Interview plan.
- Onboarding plan and survey.
Activities: | Outputs: | |
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3.1 | Draft selection criteria for external partners. |
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3.2 | Identify potential sourcing methods for intern recruitment. |
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3.3 | Determine which HR policies required updating. |
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Module 4: Plan for Intern Integration
The Purpose
- Effective supervision and mentorship are the cornerstone of your internship program.
Key Benefits Achieved
- An intern management plan.
Activities: | Outputs: | |
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4.1 | Identify key onboarding requirements for interns. |
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4.2 | Identify potential socialization and professional development opportunities. |
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4.3 | Outline intern performance evaluation process. |
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Module 5: Develop Approach for Program Implementation
The Purpose
- Effective off-boarding begins with effective supervision during the second half of the internship.
Key Benefits Achieved
- An intern exit survey.
Activities: | Outputs: | |
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5.1 | Develop high-level action and communication plan. |
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5.2 | Identify training requirements/needs. |
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5.3 | Establish an annual program evaluation and planning process. |
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