Internships a benefit to all
For the past three weeks, Fay-Penn Economic Development Council has sponsored four interns from the National Academy Foundation program at Laurel Highlands High School. Two of the interns worked closely with the Accounting and Finance Department and two with the Local Economy Department.
This was made possible through Fay-Penn’s Workforce Development initiative, which aims to identify needs of our local workforce and pairs that with working with our local schools on their curriculums.
Feedback from the interns included such statements as “I can finally see where some of our lessons in school fit into the real world” and “I would really like to come back next year and continue this experience.”
The mentors at Fay-Penn also had very positive comments about the interns; in some cases, it was almost as if the interns were teaching as much as they were learning.
And from working with them closely, I can say the two we had in the Local Economy department were awesome.
When a company participates in an internship program, they have a rare opportunity to positively affect their future workforce.
The company provides an intern with the prospect of learning their industry first-hand while observing the persons work-habits. The employer may also use the internship program to inculcate those “soft-skills” they seek in a potential employee by providing a role model during the process to guide and teach their protégé.
Discussing corporate policies such as the importance of being on time, strategic goals, effective communications, professionalism in the workplace, and appropriate attire establishes the firm’s expectations for the intern early in the process. Positive reinforcement and feedback of this corporate ethos coupled with an opportunity to observe the intern first-hand, develops an enduring impression of the person’s future employability.
For these interns, the program was an opportunity to “test-drive” a particular career option while earning critical job-related skills.
Like so many of today’s high school students, the interns are undecided about where to commit their energies for a career track.
When he or she participates in a program, they are usually eager to learn the company’s procedures, motivated to complete a multitude of tasks, and want to make a lasting impression.
Interns can also bring “fresh eyes” to the company’s procedures and many times have very resourceful recommendations for process improvements.
As your company develops next year’s budget, consider sponsoring an intern from one of our local schools.
The benefits of this program to your company, the students, and to our community far outweigh the small cost involved. For information on internships through Fay-Penn, contact myself or Tom Cramer at 724-437-7913.