Most managers carry general misconceptions about internship programs, but, by applying thoughtful planning and the right tools, they can realize their full potential. Z University.org (ZU), a leading advocate of workforce readiness and innovator of internship management solutions, has identified a ìtop fiveî list of myths that organizations need to get the greatest returns from an internship program.
Zinman says that the ìTop Five Myths About Internshipsî are fueled by managers who believe that:
1) They donít have the time to have interns. ìZUís mission is to prove why you actually donít have the time NOT to have interns,î says Zinman. A five-year study by ZU on student productivity demonstrates that a single supervisor can gain up to 225 full work days of productivity in a calendar year simply by managing interns instead of completing work tasks themselves.
2) Having interns is too much work for too little in return. Properly managed internship programs reap significant productivity benefits by freeing high-level employees from time-consuming tasks.
3) Finding good interns is a crapshoot: By applying the proper recruitment techniques, managers will learn how easy it is to attract the right individuals.
4) Internship programs are only for larger companies. ìThis couldnít be further from the truth,î notes Zinman, ìZU has removed the barriers so that a company of one can do it.î
5) They canít have interns without office space with phones and computers: Again, not true, Zinman maintains. ìThe Intern Toolkit shows how to manage interns virtually instead of doing so on-site.î
These myths are addressed in ZUís Intern Toolkit(TM), a comprehensive resource that makes it easy for employers and non-profit organizations to run an internship program in a way that increases productivity and improves the student internship experience and career development.
Available at www.InternToolkit.com, the toolkit removes the barriers to create a successful intern program. Itís designed for employers of varying size, industry and complexity, and for those with and without existing internship programs.
Among the Toolkitís benefits:
- It gives employers the structure to become more immune to common challenges like employee turnover, novice managers, and prevent students from being underutilized and underdeveloped.
- It focuses on productivity, profit and converting students into loyal employees
- More than half of its 60 tools are adaptable templates that save time, labor, and money
- It has self-guides for interns to complete work with minimal supervision and training materials to make students more competent and valuable
- Users gain online access to Z Universityís Online Internship Knowledge Center, and utilize an ever-expanding collection of internship-related resources.
With all due respect to the organizations with world class programs, most employers either donít know what theyíre doing, donít have the tools to do it right, or ñ in most cases - simply donít realize what theyíre missing,î states Matthew Zinman, president of Z University.org. ìWeíve developed the solutions to make it possible for any company of any size or type to put college students to work in all the right ways, and prepare these emerging professionals for long-term career success.î
Z University.org Dispels Employersí Top Five Internship Myths
Creator of popular Intern Toolkit refutes misconceptions by employers, citing productivity and employee development benefits of successful programs
