College Internship Program Offers Opportunities For Students, Businesses

By Terry Schmida

The internship program at Florida Keys Community College is providing opportunities for area businesses to employ keen students, while boosting both their bottom lines, and the economic health of the community at large.
At a recent meeting of the Key West Chamber of Commerce, FKCC’s Internship Coordinator Emily Schulten laid out the case for the paid internship program for an audience of business and community leaders.
“Our internship is a structured work experience that is related to a student’s major or career goal and enhances his or her academic, career, and personal development,” Schulten said. “These are supervised by a professional in the field and can be over academic term or flexible to adapt to the business’s and student’s schedules. Internships are mutually agreed upon by the student, supervisor, and faculty member can either be for career experience or academic credit.”
The program gives business owners the chance to find and shape future employees, even as those interns assist them with meaningful project completion. While on the job, interns provide a new voice and fresh look in support of the business’s mission. It’s also a useful potential trial period for the employer, and a way to get to know a possible future employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
According to Shulten, the program can also be helpful in fostering lasting partnerships between the employer and employee down the road.
“The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), in a 2009 survey, found that nearly 40 percent of employers had a higher five-year retention rate for employees hired through internship programs,” Shulten said. “In addition, interns will help to build the local workforce and to build and strengthen networking relationships within the community. The experience gained while serving [FKCC’s mission] will be vital to the skills and connections necessary for students to get off to a strong start and to be prepared for the realities of career building.”
Paid internships further this by helping the intern understand how he or she will facilitate a positive sense of responsibility both in the workplace and at home, she added.
Intern program participant Greigh Olson is particularly pleased with the way his job posting has worked out.
“Since I started interning at the Key West Aquarium, I’ve learned quite a lot for only being there a short time,” he said. “And I have more to learn before my time here has ended. Everything being hands on helps me learn better. I’m learning how everything fits together. I’m not just focusing on one component of taking care of animals. I’m taking care of plumbing, tanks, food, and everything else at a facility. I’m seeing and doing the things we read about in books which is giving me a better understanding of the things I’ve learned so far. Sometimes, books make it harder to learn something because we can’t see what it actually looks like.”
For more information on the FKCC internship program, call Schulten at 305-809-3139

 

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