Creating an internship program that yields talent

Internship programs have made advancements, particularly within the agriculture industry. However, now new dynamics have formed that have and will continue to change the landscape for employers seeking interns and for students who are looking to complete an internship.

 

For example, the limited number of people in the upcoming generations cannot fill the vacancy left by the potential number of Baby Boomers planning to retire.

 

Therefore, students can be choosey and employers are beginning to get creative in what they offer. And how has the economy changed things, are internship opportunities up or down?

 

Internship programs if done correctly can yield a great source of talent and new ideas for an organization. Therefore AgCareers organises a two-day workshop that will explore all of these areas and give tips and pointers to build a new program from scratch as well as suggestions and examples of enhancements for current programs to keep a competitive edge.

 

The workshop is held on 6 and 7 April 2010 in Huxley, Iowa (Des Moines Area). Time: April 6, 2010: 12:00pm-6:00pm; April 7, 2010: 8:30am-11:30am.

 

As intern’s start dates approach, this workshop will give you the resources to evaluate programs and make tweaks that can make a big difference in the student’s perception of the program.

 

·         The benefits of a successful internship program

·         What does today’s economy do to impact the number of internship opportunities and internship offerings

·         How to get support from management

·         How to get students excited about your internship program

·         Examples of work projects and programs that are meaningful for the student and provide value to the employer

·         What you should (and should not) provide in your program

·         And, other helpful pointers to make your internship an effective component of your overall recruiting plan

 

As an added bonus, all organizations participating in this workshop will be eligible to participate in a market research project regarding intern’s expectations.

 

AgCareers.com will facilitate a third-party survey of all interns that an organization has selected for the summer prior to their start date.

 

This first survey will ask them about the company’s intern recruitment process and about expectations of their internship.

 

Upon completing their internship, student interns will be surveyed again to see how well expectations were met.

 

The individual company results will be provided back to each company (respondent identity will be kept anonymous), but companies will also receive a report of the overall survey’s responses so that they can compare their results to those of other participating organizations.

 

Registration and further information can be obtained from AgCareers