IWBLabs

Policy Makers

This guideline provides the policy makers with specific suggestion on how to assess the impact of international and virtual internships. The guideline covers topic such as: creation of an observatory to trace the quality of work based learning approaches; promoting of international and virtual internships.

Table of Contents

4.2 How to Support a Traineeship System

4.2.4 How to Motivate / Support Companies to Welcome Trainees

Companies should support and promote internships mainly from two reasons: It brings direct benefits to employers and it brings benefits to society (for company indirect benefits). Most important direct benefit is, that employers can use internships as a cost-effective drafting strategy for work received at no cost (compensation) to them. The opportunity to check trainees while getting informed about quality of their work is appreciated by companies. It eases their decision-making process, to which persons can they offer an job. Companies convert interns to full-time employees very easy, which is connected with reduction of training-related costs. Interns bring energy, perspective and fresh ideas to employers - especially in the field of new technologies introduction and modern communication tools using since the younger generations tend to be very interested in ICT and other new technologies (also usable in agribusiness sector). In comparison with young people, current employees may try to be still active and innovative in fear of being replaced by someone younger, enthusiastic and with fresher ideas.

Second group of benefits (indirect benefits) is mainly general educational level young people in region, country or Europe, which has impact to every company. It is often question of responsibility to society (CSR).

Policy (decision) makers can generate supporting mechanisms, which should include:

including internships to training programs as compulsory element for vocational education and training institutions/students in sufficient range
promote communication of the company with VET institutions
create tools for communication with future / potential interns (including utilisation of ICT tools)
organise fairs, presentations of companies for potential interns (students)
support companies – provide know-how, how to coach, lead, educate interns – as potential, future employees by various ways including workshops, web presentations, printed materials
induce socially responsible approaches of the companies to interns, as temporary cost effective workers (labourers)

Online Resource

Starting an internship
How can organizations meet the needs of today and prepare the workforce of the future? One solution is to develop a quality internship program. This booklet will assist you in doing just that.

5 Reasons You Should Hire an Intern -- and 3 Reasons You Shouldn't
Reasons, which are necessary to take into consideration during decision making, if company will or will not find an intern.

Small company internship award program accepting applications
The Small Company Internship Award Program (SCIA) provides funding to help small businesses hire university students to work as interns on projects that are both beneficial to the company and academically relevant to the student.

Employer Guide to Structuring a Successful Internship Program
A collaborative effort of all of Rhode Island’s colleges and universities to structure internships.

Starting and Maintaining A Quality Internship Program
The dream … hire experienced employees who require very little, if any, training. But this dream conflicts with reality. One solution is to develop a quality internship program.

Operative Tools

Employer Guide to Structuring a Successful Internship Program
Every host organisation (employer) should define in advance aims and rules for internship organisation. This guide can be used as example.