Companies Can Gain Affordable Short Term Talent in Tough Economic Times

Intern Bridge, the nation's leading college recruiting consulting firm, began releasing data today from its national internship survey completed by over 42,000 students from 400 universities. The research gauges student expectations and experiences relating to internship supervisors, program structure, orientation, recruiting, compensation, and more.

The survey found that 7 out of 10 students would accept less pay in exchange for greater work experience. The data reveals that the average national wage for an undergraduate internship is $12.81, with a for-profit average of $13.50 and a not-for-profit average of $10.45. In addition, 11% of students do not receive compensation or college credit, a controversial practice that all but violates the Fair Labor Standards Act.

While growth in college recruiting for full-time hires is expected to remain flat in 2009, the use of internships is expected to rise as organizations recognize the need to complete work by an educated workforce at a reduced cost. The current economic conditions are providing a real opportunity for advancements in experiential education. Students have the chance to apply academic theory to real world applications, while companies have the ability to capture huge savings on labor costs says Intern Bridge founder Richard Bottner, who started the company three years ago while a senior at Babson College. In the past, companies hosted internship programs as a recruiting tool. Organizations are quickly realizing that internships can also ease their workforce dilemmas in a tough economy.

To help organizations start or improve internship programs, Intern Bridge publishes best practices materials based on in-depth research, including Bottner's book: Total Internship Management: The Employer's Guide to Building the Ultimate Internship Program. In addition, the company offers supervisor's handbooks, salary reports, online seminars, and accredited full-day workshops throughout the nation.

The company also announced that it will offer an online version of its acclaimed full-day workshop, designed to help human resources professionals learn about internship best practices.

The Internship Management Online Academy will provide proven best practices based on the most recent Intern Bridge national survey. The Academy will provide information about making the business case to host interns, structuring an internship program, targeting the most appropriate universities, employment law, compensation issues, and much more. Over nine hours of content will be presented over six different sessions directly by Bottner, who was recently inducted into Business Week's list of the Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under 25 in the nation. Human resources professionals will receive nine CEU credits from the Human Resources Credential Institute.

The Academy is set to launch on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 1:00pm EST. Registration includes a copy of the leading internship publication Total Internship Management: The Employer's Guide To Building The Ultimate Internship Program, a $40 value. The cost of registering for the Academy is $299 for a for-profit organization and $249 for a not-for-profit organization or government agency. For more information, visit internbridge.com/academy