College of Business. An internship is an educational experience that incorporates. What Is an Internship? Employer s Edition. Internship Program

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1 Employer s Edition College of Business Internship Program What Is an Internship? An internship is an educational experience that incorporates productive work experience as part of a college student s curriculum. Through this experience, students are given the opportunity to improve their basic work skills, test career choices, develop professional competence, and witness classroom theories and principles being applied in real world situations. Why Establish an Internship? Assistance Getting the Job Done Student interns can assist senior employees with their regular work assignments or be assigned to special short-term projects Improved Campus Recruitment Efforts A student internship program may help improve a company s campus recruitment efforts by: Providing an opportunity to observe the quality of the school s educational programs via the intern Improving the chance of hiring candidates with desirable attributes Providing a competitive edge in recruitment Generating positive word-of-mouth advertising Opportunity for Input Companies with internship programs develop close working relationships with university personnel. Often these companies are contacted when business college faculty seek input regarding academic programs.

2 Overview The College of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire recognizes internship experiences as an important part of a student s academic program. Any junior or senior student who is admitted to the College of Business, is in good academic standing, and has satisfied specific departmental course prerequisites and policies may participate in the business internship program. The UW-Eau Claire Business Internship Program is administered by the university s Career Services Office, the College of Business departments of Accounting and Finance, Information Systems, and Management and Marketing, and the Business Communication program. In order for students to receive credit or transcript recording for an internship, the experience must meet the following criteria: Work performed by the student must be related to his/her field of study and provide value to the organization while the student is engaged in college-level learning experiences The employer has designated an internship supervisor to oversee and evaluate the student performance throughout the experience Interns at for-profit organizations must be paid at least the minimum wage Guidelines Internship programs vary from organization to organization. Some companies have developed programs that give students an overview of the key functions within the company before assigning them responsibilities in a specific area. Other organizations use interns for special projects. They hire students whenever they need extra assistance or a fresh approach to an old problem. No matter how the employer structures the internship program, organization with successful internship programs have: A long-term commitment to intern education by management that results in a willingness to allocate financial and human resources to the program A company-wide philosophy that recognizes that internships are first and foremost an educational program integrated with practical experience An organizational structure that allows for the appointment of an internship coordinator to manage the internship experience and serve as the key contact person for university personnel. Effective coordinators are skilled in human relations, have a good knowledge of the company, its processes and its personnel A policy that ensures interns are paid a fair and competitive wage

3 The Internship Experience Getting Started Prospective internship employers should develop a position description that details: The intern s responsibilities The skills and knowledge needed for the position (major, GPA, etc.) The length of the internship (starting date, conclusion date) Expected working hours The intern s immediate supervisor Compensation Working benefits, if any Questions related to position development should be directed to the appropriate department chair or program director. Once the position description is completed, employers should contact Alyssa Slaby, UW-Eau Claire Career Services. She will inform students and faculty members of the internship opportunity and send the employer the résumés of students who have expressed interest in the experience. Ms. Slaby works with appropriate College of Business members to ensure that the internship is approved for university credit or transcript recording. After securing an internship position, the student provides the job description and supervisor contact information to the relevant department chair or program director. Students completing the internship for university credit perform a variety of activities in addition to the work experience. These activities may include online journaling, discussions, term papers, or site visits. The credit activities are monitored and evaluated by UW-Eau Claire faculty. The On-Site Visit Ms. Slaby and business faculty often conduct internship site visits. Together, they meet with the student intern, the employer internship supervisor, and employer internship coordinator to discuss how the student is progressing. Personal site visits are not always possible, but there is still contact between UW-Eau Claire and the employer. Returning to Campus Employer supervisors will be asked to submit an intern evaluation at the completion of the internship. The evaluation is reviewed by appropriate College of Business faculty members. When taken for university credit, the results of the evaluation are used to determine the student s grade for the internship experience. The College of Business requests that employers conduct an exit interview with the intern before he/she leaves the company. The employer should discuss the student s performance during the internship and review the results of the employer s evaluation form. The employer may also use this interview to discuss future employment opportunities for the student. The employer determines whom to interview and when and where interviews take place. Employers may contact Career Services to use the interview rooms in the UW-Eau Claire Career Services Office, or they may opt to invite students to their own place of business.

4 Additional Information For additional information about the UW-Eau Claire Business Internship Program, contact: Tips for Managing Interns Career Services Provide interns with a brief orientation to the company and Ms. Alyssa Slaby, Career and Employment Advisor the assignment. Introduce interns to the people they will be UW-Eau Claire, Schofield Hall 230 working with during the internship experience. Phone (715) slabyaj@uwec.edu Department of Accounting and Finance Recognize that some students may need a little extra attention the first few weeks on the job. For many students, the internship experience is their first real job. Plan work assignments progressively so interns move Dr. Raj Aroskar, Chair from more routine activities early in the program to more UW-Eau Claire, Schneider Hall 400A complicated responsibilities as the program progresses. Phone: (715) aroskar@uwec.edu Department of Information Systems Dr. Tony Keys, Chair UW-Eau Claire, Schneider Hall 401 Phone: (715) keysac@uwec.edu Department of Management & Marketing Dr. Kristy Lauver, Chair Give interns enough work. One of the most common comments heard from the students is that they had too little to do. Assign interns meaningful work. Don t always give them those jobs no one else wants to do. Encourage interns to participate in company social events, attend professional society meetings, and involve themselves in civic and community work. Provide interns with feedback regularly. Occasionally meet with interns away from the work site to see how the experience is going. UW-Eau Claire, Schneider Hall 400E Phone: (715) lauverkj@uwec.edu Business Communication Program Dr. Paula Lentz, Program Director UW-Eau Claire, Schneider Hall 400F Phone: (715) ginderpj@uwec.edu The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is an EEO/AA institution. Updated

5 Business Internship Program Examples of Past Projects Performed by Our Interns Accounting/Financial Analysis Participated in internal financial and operational audits for corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations Helped prepare audit working papers and reports Prepared state and federal corporate and individual income tax returns Computed contingent liabilities, reserves, and long-term debt requirements Accumulated accounts payable and receivable information Developed spreadsheets and other applications using a personal computer Helped develop accounting and financial policies Helped develop analysis of manufactured products Information Systems Participated on project team systems development Developed business cases for various IT scenarios Developed software standards for companies Tested pre-production software for quality standards Helped develop telecommunications systems Participated in LAN/WAN developments Assisted with development of EDI systems Performed maintenance on legacy problems Developed microcomputer applications Participated on program conversion projects Wrote procedure manuals for the application and use of hardware and software Evaluated software packages for company adoptions Helped train users on new software applications Worked with system users to gather new system specifications Develop and maintained database applications New Business Development Conducted feasibility studies and developed business plans for prospective businesses Operations/Material Management Assisted in the development of inventory control standards Coordinated the timely delivery of finished products to the shipping lines Documented any changes in software, system, or procedures Adjusted staffing in response to fluctuating throughput requirements Human Resource Management Conducted initial interviews for nonexempt positions Conducted reference checks Conducted salary surveys Helped maintain the benefits program and develop the salary structure Developed HR policy manuals Developed training programs for employees Marketing/Sales Helped develop outside sources for databases Constructed, administered, and analyzed satisfaction and opinion surveys Provided sales support assistance to senior level sales people Developed sales presentations and wrote proposals Developed brochures and other marketing materials Made sales calls and closed sales Developed Web sites for an organization Developed and implemented an advertising campaign Planned and implemented special events

6 Some of the Companies Participating in Our Internship Program 3M Aflac ALDI American Express American Family Insurance Baker Tilly Boulay, Heutmaker, Zibell & Co. Cargill Carlson Companies Cascades Tissue Citizens Community Credit Union City of Eau Claire CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP Cray, Inc. CUNA Mutual Deloitte and Touche Direct Supply Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Eau Claire Area Economic Development Corporation Ecolab Enterprise Rent-A-Car EY Federated Insurance Figi s First Federal Savings Bank Frito Lay General Growth Properties Harley-Davidson Hormel Huebsch Services IBM Corporation ImageTrend JAMF Software Kimberly-Clark KPMG Kraft Foods Land O Lakes Lands End Leinenkugel Brewing Company Liberty Mutual Lockheed Martin LSS Data Systems Marshfield Clinic Mason Companies Maverick Media Mayo Clinic Health Systems McGladrey Menards National Presto Industries, Inc. Nestle Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Prudential Securities RCU Realityworks Roehl Transport Inc. SBC Communications Corp. Schneider National Sears Holdings Securian Financial Group Sentry Insurance Sherwin-Williams Co. State Farm Insurance Stepan Sun Life Financial SUPERVALU SVA Certified Public Accountants Swiss Colonies Target Thomson Reuters Travelers U.S. Bancorp Uniprise United Health Wipfli Wisconsin Department of Transportation Wisconsin Gas Updated