What is an internship?
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire recognizes internships as an important part of a student's curriculum. Ideally, internships will provide students with opportunities to:
- Acquire pracitcal work experience relating to the student's major or career choice
- Learn more about a specific industry/field
- Identify interests, skills and talents
- Determine whether their interests match their skills
- Develop professionalism and experience
- Learn and improve specific skills such as communication, problemsolving, teamwork and leadership
- Increase their marketability and value to employers
Internship programs are beneficial to employers and students. Students have the opportunity to determine if they've chosen the correct career path, and if they fit in with the company culture. Employers have a chance to see how the student performs and what they could bring to their organization.
Why should students participate in internships?
Participating in an internship is becoming increasingly critical for graduates to be competitive for the best positions. The good news is internships aren't hard to find and they offer many benefits.
- Availability
- Overall, employers plan to increase 2008 intern hiring by 3.7%.
- Employers said they will hire 40% of their full time hires from their intermship pool.
- Full-time Hires
- In 2007, employers extended full time offers to 70% of their interns.
- Employers stated, on average, 36% of their new college hires came from their internship programs.
- More than one third employers stated their retention rate is higher among college hires converted from internship programs.
- Salaries and Benefits
- On average, paid interns recieved $16.50 per hour.
- The most common benefits offered to interns include planned social activities, paid holidays, and relocation assistance.
All statistics were taken from the National Association of College and Employers (NACE) 2008 Experiential Education Survey.