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San Diego Workforce Partnership: Connecting Businesses with Summer Interns

By Ms. Elizabeth Rice, SPHR

Summer is almost here, which means students everywhere are looking for opportunities to gain valuable experience in the working world through jobs and internships. This creates a great prospect for businesses as well, who may be looking for some extra seasonal help and a way to connect with the local community. Putting businesses and students in touch with one another, however, can sometimes prove to be a challenge. San Diego Workforce Partnership, an organization that coordinates job training and employment programs, has developed a summer internship network designed to put the two parties in touch with one another. Innovative Employee Solutions® recently spoke with Lawrence G. Fitch, President and CEO of San Diego's Workforce Partnership, to discuss the program, and the ways employers and students each benefit from the hands-on experience of an internship.

Program history and operation
The summer internship program was launched in 1996 as a community solution for both employers and students in San Diego, as part of the Workforce Partnership's larger Youth Connect Network, designed to create career programs and services for young people. The internships are as varied as the businesses involved, with tasks ranging from scientific lab work to Internet research to general administrative duties, and more. The program tries to ensure a variety of internships that will offer numerous learning experiences for students.

To ensure the program includes only valid internship opportunities and candidates, the Youth Connect Network screens both companies and students. According to Fitch, companies are checked to make sure they provide a legitimate workplace and sufficient supervision, while students are screened for program requirements, including a GPA of 2.0 or higher, residency in San Diego, and full-time student status.

Benefits for interns and employers
In addition to being a way to make and save money (most businesses pay interning students at least minimum wage), internships provide a number of benefits for students. Unlike other summer jobs, internships provide a way for students to gain hands-on experience in a field they may be considering as a career. Internships can help to clarify career decisions for youth and allow them the opportunity to build valuable relationships with industry professionals, relationships that may prove useful later when hitting the post-graduation job market. Internships are a critical resume-builder, too. Monstertrak verifies that "employers overwhelmingly point to internship experience as the most important factor they consider in hiring new college graduates for full-time position."

Furthermore internships provide an invaluable source of motivation for continuing education. According to a 2004 report by ABC news, teens with summer work experience have more substantial employment and higher wages than adults. As Fitch explains, "young people do better in school and are more likely to go to college if they have a connection with the workforce."

Students aren't the only ones reaping success from internships: companies with student help for the summer are discovering a number of advantages as well. In addition to a relatively low-cost source of labor, interns provide businesses with a young, enthusiastic team of fresh workers. When internships are over, companies find themselves with a ready source of already-trained potential employees. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)'s 2004 Job Outlook survey, employers rated their internship programs as "the most effective recruiting method for hiring new graduates." The survey also reports that in the previous year, companies converted more than 38 percent of their student interns into full-time employees. As Fitch points out, "Companies with interns are able to connect with a diverse, motivated group and to build a workforce pipeline in San Diego." He explains, "The more youth are connected, the more they will stay in the area: it's a vested self-interest." Furthermore, employees who supervise interns gain valuable management experience, and the business, as a whole becomes a more integrated, committed part of the community.

Overcoming challenges
In spite of the many advantages offered by internships, Fitch acknowledges a few challenges as well. He points out that the young age of many interns means that "supervision and training are a challenge. The interns sometimes have never been in the workplace." Furthermore, companies are sometimes worried about the liability issues with adding young employees to the workforce. Often, participating businesses will hire an HR administration firm such as Innovative Employee Solutions® (IES) to act as the interns' employer of record, ensuring that the students are paid without becoming a company liability or a part of their official head count.

Program success
Since its inception 8 years ago, The San Diego Workforce Partnership's internship program has enjoyed considerable success. Last summer's applicants totaled around 500 students in spite of the slow economy, and the year before the program was able to place 610 applicants in internships around San Diego County. Of the students participating in internships, approximately 25% typically return to work for the same companies the following summer, or work part time for them during the school year. In addition, the program has received a great deal of support from the community, who view it as an opportunity for businesses to get involved in the community and for youth to gain valuable work experience. As Fitch points out, it's a "win-win situation" for all involved.

About the author:
Ms. Elizabeth Rice, SPHR is the executive vice president of Innovative Employee Solutions® - a San Diego-based company specializing in payroll and HR administrative services for the contingent, non-core workforce. Ms. Rice has more than 20 years of experience in HR and executive management and is noted both regionally and nationally for her particular expertise in employee relations, women's workforce issues, and temporary employment. Ms. Rice can be contacted at erice@innovative-es.com

About San Diego Workforce Partnership
The San Diego Workforce Partnership has been coordinating job training and employment programs for over twenty-five years. Created under a Joint Powers Agreement by the City and County of San Diego, the Workforce Partnership brings qualified employees and area businesses together. We work to be highly flexible and creative in meeting the needs of our customers. Our partners and training providers share our desire to prepare San Diego's current and future workforce by bringing together academic, vocational, and social services with job training. For more information, visit http://www.workforce.org.