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“ An excellent resource for students and employers to work together for the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math” STEM INTERNSHIP Employer Handbook
“An excellent resource for students and employers to work together for the advancement of Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math”
STEM INTERNSHIP
Employer Handbook
STEM EMPLOYER HANDBOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DESCRIPTION OF A STEM INTERNSHIP AND ITS BENEFITS
What is a STEM Summer Internship? .................................................................... 2
What are the host employer criteria? ...................................................................... 3
How internships benefit employers ........................................................................ 4
How internships benefit students ............................................................................ 4
DESIGNING AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Developing Work Activities ................................................................................... 5
Recruiting an Intern ................................................................................................ 6
Onboarding and Training Interns ............................................................................ 6
Explain the Mission of the Organization ................................................................ 7
Explaining the Organization Structure .................................................................... 7
Define the Intern’s Responsibilities ........................................................................ 8
Monitor the Intern’s Adjustment and Understanding of What Is Expected ........... 8
Supervising the Intern ............................................................................................. 9
Experiential Learning .............................................................................................. 9
Final Evaluation ...................................................................................................... 9
Contact Information .............................................................................................. 10
APPENDICES
Appendix #1 – Sample Orientation Outline .......................................................... 11
Appendix #2 – Final Evaluation ........................................................................... 12
STEM EMPLOYER HANDBOOK
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DESCRIPTION OF A STEM INTERNSHIP AND ITS BENEFITS
What is a STEM Summer Internship?
An "internship" is an opportunity offered by an employer to qualified high school students
between the ages of 16-18. An intern may work at a firm for a four-eight week period. An
internship is a form of experiential learning that empowers students to integrate knowledge and
theory learned in the classroom with practical application on a worksite. Thus, a meaningful
internship is a partnership between Coffee High School and a host employer.
The Coffee County STEM Summer Internship was initiated in 2011 when Scott Smith,
Human Resources Manager, PCC Airfoils, Inc., and Chairperson of the School, Business and
Industry Council (SBIC), attended the closing ceremony for the GIFT (Georgia Internship for
Teachers) in Atlanta. During the ceremony, students from metro Atlanta who participated in a
summer research intern program presented their stories of what the STEM research program
meant to them. Immediately, Scott knew that with some modifications the Coffee County School
System, along with business and industry partners, could create a STEM summer program that
would work in this small rural community. With Scott’s determination and the dedication of the
business partners and representatives from the Coffee County School System, the planning began
and the idea from a meeting in 2011 became a reality. Following two months of preparation,
application packets were distributed to interested students who met the criteria of grades,
behavior, and attendance. Before the student interviews, members of the business community
came to the high school to work with students on work ethic skills and interviewing techniques.
On April 30, 2013, employers converged on Coffee High School to interview the students. Each
student had at least 10 minutes to show an employer his interest and skills for the internship. After
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the five-hour interviewing process, eight employers chose 11 student interns. In the summer of
2013, the inaugural class of STEM Interns began to march into the workforce. School term 2013-
14 proved to be a year of improving the STEM Summer Internship program to include more
students and employers. Once again on April 30, 16 employer representatives converged on
Coffee High and committed to hiring and mentoring 21 students. Both summers of 2013 and 2014
several employers decided to employ the students past the four-eight week period.
The School Business and Industry Council, students, and parents agreed that the internship
was a successful venture in shaping the future of the Coffee County workforce as well as the
future of the global community.
What are the host employer criteria?
The host employer provides an on-site mentor to ensure that the experience is beneficial to
the student and the employer. The combination of education, knowledge and workplace skills will
allow young people to discover areas in which they excel. This experience can also increase the
students’ desire to graduate and pursue higher education in the future.
1. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings. 2. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description is issued to the student
during the orientation. Additionally, a job description must be submitted to the program coordinator before interviewing the students.
3. There is supervision by a qualified member of the host company. 4. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer during the
internship period. 5. Supervisor will meet with the STEM coordinator to discuss the student’s progress throughout
the work period. 6. Release the students at 11:30 on Fridays for the workplace seminars at various locations. 7. Since the Friday seminars are an integral part of workplace learning for students, the students
will receive their regular wage for the four-hour Friday seminars. 8. Employers are asked to donate $50.00 for the expenses ( t-shirts, Friday seminar lunches and
activities) incurred for the STEM Summer Internship.
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How Internships Benefit Employers
• Pipeline to grow quality candidates for future workforce
• Opportunity to select, train and influence the best and brightest
• Part-time employees to fill vacation time of full-time employees
• Provides short-term employees to assist current employees
• Helps to identify potential future hires
• Provides an opportunity for supervisory experience for developing employees
• Increase diversity
• Promotes community involvement
• Increased visibility of your organization in the community
How Internships Benefit Students
• Meaningful work experience
• Exposure to real-world scenarios in the workplace
• Experience complements the critical knowledge learned in the classroom
• Paid work experience
• Helps students build resumes
• Resume, interviewing selection experience
• Career development and performance management
• Mentoring and coaching; training and development
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DESIGNING AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
• How much will you pay the intern? It is suggested that companies pay minimum wage.
However, wages are ultimately set by each participating organization.
• Where will you put the intern? Do you have adequate workspace for them?
• What sort of academic background and experience do you want in an intern? Decide on
standards for quality beforehand—it will help narrow down your choices.
• Who will have the primary responsibility for the intern? Will that person be a mentor? A
supervisor? Both?
• What will the intern be doing? Be as specific as possible. One way to do this is to design a
preliminary list of work activities that will fit the needs of your organization.
• In case of a family vacation, or band camp, or college orientation that occurs during the
internship period, will the intern be allowed to make up the time when he returns?
• Will the student clock in?
• How many hours will the student work?
• What is the pay period and what day will the intern receive wages?
• What is the intern attendance policy?
Developing Work Activities
Employers should strive to present interns with a variety of tasks while accommodating the needs
of the department/organization. Of course, some of the interns’ responsibilities will involve
repetition because all work involves some repeated activity. Even so, former interns have
commented positively about internship experiences that provide them broader exposure to the
organization in general, giving them a sense of how the different departments fit together. A very
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important part of your plan should be the assignment of a mentor or supervisor—that is, someone
from the intern’s department who will be in charge of the intern. This person should be selected
because he or she likes to teach or train and has the resources to do it.
Recruiting an Intern
How will you find those ideal candidates to fill your internship position(s)? A) Create an
internship job description. This internship job description provides the intern and employer with
a clear understanding of expected responsibilities, qualifications, and supervision. You’re making
an investment; time and money will go into the training of this person. B) This is where the
interview will come in handy: Is the intern truly motivated, or does he or she just want a job? Will
the intern fit into your organization’s culture?
Onboarding & Training Interns
With careful consideration of whom you hire at the beginning, you can avoid some of the
most common pitfalls of internships. All eligible candidates will be interviewed on April 30, 2015.
Each company is encouraged to participate in the interviewing process. If a company
representative is not able to attend, a selection committee will make decisions for those unable to
attend.
Many students are unfamiliar with the activities, environment and objectives of your
organization. Even though your interns may have worked part-time, these experiences may not
have exposed them to organizational politics, the need for confidentiality, and the importance of
teamwork or the profit-making orientation of business. It is this orientation and training
dimension of the internship experience that emphasizes the partnership role of the sponsoring
organization.
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The sooner your student interns understand what your organization does and how it
operates, the sooner they can assume assigned responsibilities and become productive. (see
appendix #1)
You can help this process by providing the following kinds of information about your site:
Explain the Mission of the Organization
• How did the organization start? Why?
• What is unique about your product or service?
• Who benefits from your product or service?
• What are the organization’s current objectives?
• How may the intern contribute to those objectives?
Explain the Organization Structure
• Who reports to whom?
• Who, specifically, is the intern’s supervisor?
• What is the intern’s department responsible for?
• How are decisions made?
• Which personnel can answer different kinds of questions?
• Is there special jargon?
• What are the specific work standards and procedures?
• When will the supervisor be accessible (days, times, duration) to the intern?
• How should they process requests?
• How do the mail and telephone systems work?
• By what safety regulations must they abide?
• Is there a procedure for signing off work?
• Are there security or confidentiality issues the intern should be aware of?
• What is acceptable with regard to dress and appearance?
• How should they maintain the premises and their work area?
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Define the Intern’s Responsibilities
• What is the intern’s role?
• What projects will be assigned to him or her?
• What resources are available to the intern?
• What training is necessary?
• When is the intern expected to be onsite? Set a schedule.
• How does the organization want the intern to deal with clients and vendors?
• What training is necessary?
• What tasks can be completed without supervisory approval?
• Do other employees understand the intern’s role?
Monitor the Intern’s Transition and Understanding of What is Expected
• Make yourself visibly available to the intern
• Assign someone who can periodically “check in” with the intern
• Provide feedback and constructive criticism
• Force the intern to ask questions
• Take your intern on a tour of the facilities and introduce them to the other
employees
• Give your intern company materials to read such as newsletters, annual reports, an
organization chart or memos from the CEO
• Encourage your intern to spend break and lunchtimes in places where employees
gather
• Schedule regular one-on-one meetings with her or him
• Give the intern opportunities to observe (or participate in) professional meetings
• Allow the intern to interview company personnel
• Encourage the intern to walk around and observe others at work
The success of an internship depends on the partnership between representatives of the
organization, Coffee High School, and the student.
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Supervising the Intern
Students will look to you as a mentor who will assist their transition from the classroom to
the work environment. We suggest you meet with your interns regularly to provide feedback
concerning their performance.
During these meetings, the students can:
• Report on the status of a project.
• Ask questions.
• Learn how their work is contributing to the organization.
• Participate in an evaluation of their strengths.
• Discuss areas needing growth and development.
• Get a sense of what kind of work lies ahead.
Experiential Learning
Interns have a unique opportunity to attend professional seminars that enhance the
internship experience. Each Friday the intern is released at noon to go to a predetermined location
for training in workplace issues. Topics include: communications, diversity, team-building, and
success in the workplace.
Final Evaluation
At the end of the internship period a final evaluation will be completed (appendix #2) to
assess the intern’s performance.
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Contact Information
This internship handbook is designed to help organizations establish a new internship
program, evaluate an existing program, and provide guidance when hosting an intern. Although
the handbook is not exhaustive, it is meant to be used as a tool to raise questions, make
recommendations, and provide some guidelines for common practices frequently found within
strong internship programs. As always, if you have questions or wish to talk more specifically
about your internship needs, please contact:
Linda Cribbs - 389-6619 or email [email protected]
Brad Riner, - 389-6598 or email [email protected]
Scott Smith, PCC Airfoils, 384-6633 or email [email protected]
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APPENDICES
Appendix #1 - Sample Orientation Outline
· Review organization vision and department missions
· Give the intern a feel for the organizational structure, provide an organizational chart or
staff list with phone numbers and emails
· Explain the need-to-know items
· Parking
· Work station
· Specific work dates and times
· Office hours, breaks and lunches
· Intranet
· Use of office equipment, copy machine, phone
· Attendance and punctuality
· Review organizational and employee policies
· Identify and discuss main projects
· Review the job description
· Clarify results expected
· Develop action plan
· Set regular evaluation meetings
· Inform the intern of departmental or staff meetings he/she is expected to attend, and
provide time during those meetings for the intern to report progress on his/her project
· Identify a back-up supervisor or support person who can answer the intern’s questions if
his/her regular supervisor is unavailable
· Ensure that the intern understands his/her responsibilities
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Appendix #2 Final Evaluation
Final Evaluation of Student Intern
Student intern: ____________________________________________________________
Supervisor: _______________________________________________________________
Organization: _____________________________________________________________
Thank you for taking the time to complete this evaluation. The information you provided is a valuable asset to the student intern’s experiential education. Please email or fax, 383-4167, this evaluation to the STEM coordinator.
Please rate the intern in the following areas:
1=Poor, 2=Below Average, 3=Average, 4=Above Average, 5=Excellent
_____Job Understanding
_____Verbal Communication Skills
_____Written Communication Skills
_____Punctuality
_____Quality of Work
_____Interaction with Others
_____Dependability
_____Attendance
_____Professionalism
_____Time Management
What contributions did the student make to your organization?
Did the intern improve his/her performance over the course of the term? Yes___ No___ If yes, how did the intern improve?
In which areas can this intern improve?
What is your overall evaluation of this intern?
