An internship is a semester-long, supervised work experience related to a student’s major or career goal for which the student earns academic credit. The work experience may be part-time or full-time, paid or unpaid, and primarily in an off-campus environment. Important elements structured into the experience which distinguish it from a short-term job or volunteer work are an intentional self-directed learning strategy, reflection - both verbal and written, discussion of faith integration, and an emphasis on professional development.
Internships for academic credit are available to juniors or seniors in the fall, spring, or summer and must be at least twelve weeks in length. By embarking on one or more of them, students are able to sharpen their skills, begin a network of employer contacts, assess their strengths, and test classroom theories in real world settings.
Messiah's Internship Program has been recognized nationally for its quality, resources and comprehensiveness. We are your "one stop shop" for students, no matter what their major. Whether you are looking for students in human resources, marketing, family studies, graphic design, computer programming, communications, or one of our other 50+ majors, we can help.
We assist you in publicizing your positions on campus, provide you with resources to better orient and supervise student interns, and maintain contact with you throughout the experience.
Many supervisors simply enjoy sharing their expertise and savvy in their roles as professional mentors. In addition, some tangible benefits include:
- Year round source of highly motivated pre-professionals
- Quality candidates for temporary or seasonal positions and projects
- Freedom for professional staff to pursue more creative projects
- Flexible, cost-effective work force not requiring a long-term site sponsor commitment
- Proven, cost-effective way to recruit and evaluate potential employees.
- According to the 2006 Experiential Education Survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 76% of employer respondents indicated the primary purpose for them sponsoring an internship is to recruit entry-level talent
- On average, 53% of interns were converted to full-time hires
- 83% of employer respondents reported higher retention rates for those with internship experience, compared to those who had none.
As a sponsoring organization, you can offer substantive work experiences that support students' academic and career goals. If you do not yet have an established internship program, or you would like to consider ways to improve your current one, access the helpful manual
"Starting And Maintaining A Quality Internship Program" -
click here to view and print . (
This link, and the following one, require Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click here for the free download.)
Next, you should complete a
Position Description Form online or print the
pdf file and fax it in. The form includes, among other items, the majors you are looking for, work responsibilities, and the times of the year the internship is available.
Our staff then makes every effort to locate and refer students for your consideration whose interests, preparation and capabilities meet the requirements and qualifications needed for the position you are offering. You then have the opportunity to interview and screen the candidate(s). Once you select a student(s), we work cooperatively with you to support their work performance and learning experience.
Note: Due to the elective nature of the program (internships are not mandatory), the Internship Center cannot guarantee students for any particular semester.
- Internships must be a minimum of 12-15 weeks in length and total anywhere from 10-40 hours per week.
- Internships should run concurrent with academic semesters as follows: Fall (Sept.-Dec.) Spring (Jan./Feb-Apr.) Summer (May-Aug.).
- Internships are centrally coordinated through the Internship Center, not individual departments of the college.
- Students earn academic credit (4-12 credits during the Fall and Spring semesters; 4-10 in the Summer) for internship arrangements.
- An Internship Class and academic assignments must be completed concurrently with the work experience.
- Compensation is not regulated by the college; however, with the financial demands placed on today's students, many are looking for some form of remuneration.
We expect you to provide career-related work experiences that are of sufficient challenge to college-level students. In addition to providing work that contributes to your organization's mission, we also hope you actively support the student's learning endeavor. Someone who has a heart for the professional development of others should be assigned to supervise the student. That person should:
- Provide a clear job/project description for the work experience
- Orient the student to the organization, its "culture" and their work assignment(s)
- Assist the student in developing/achieving personal learning objectives
- Host an on-site visit from the Internship Faculty sometime during the work term
- Offer feedback to the student on a regular basis
- Complete formal written evaluations at the mid-point and conclusion of the work experience
With an academic internship, the student is automatically covered under the college's general liability insurance. Regarding issues of liability, we support the Statement of Principles Regarding Release and Indemnity Agreements(PDF) (otherwise known as 'Hold Harmless Agreements') approved by the Cooperative Education and Internship Association.
If your organization is able, we certainly encourage you to consider offering compensation. This may help you attract more quality candidates, as well as solidify time commitments from interns. Many students work their way through college and often give up a paying part-time position to take an internship, so receiving some form of remuneration is appreciated. If your organization is unable to offer a regular wage, consider helping the student with internship-related expenses such as parking fees, mileage, meals, etc.
Unpaid student employment will not violate the Fair Labor Standards Act if it is a training program which meets the following criteria: 1) The training should be similar to that given in a vocational setting, 2) the experience is for the benefit of the student, 3) students do not displace regular employees, 4) the site sponsor provides the training and receives no immediate advantage from the activities of students, 5) students are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period, and 6) the site sponsor and student understand that the student is not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.
Many employers ask how much they should pay students. The average hourly wage for a Messiah College internship student in 2007-2008 was $9.50.
If your business would like to contribute to the Clifford & Carole Jones Public Service Internship Fund, please contact Michael True at: mtrue@messiah.edu . The fund assists students who are not eligible for other forms of financial aid and are interning in non-compensated, public service-oriented positions.
Why should your organization host an intern? What types of skills and background do they bring to the job? As an example, check out our History students(PDF).
- Our professional staff serve as primary contacts for certain academic majors. Please click here - Contacts - to see with whom you should be in touch.
- Submit a Position Description Form online, or print the pdf file and fax it in, or send an email with all the requested information.
- If you are a new or first-time site sponsor, we may request a consultation at your worksite with one of our professional staff.
- Acceptable internships will be publicized on campus to students and departmental faculty.
- Internship staff will either send resumes or refer eligible students directly to you. You decide whom to interview and accept.
Read the following short items. If you have any questions, please contact us.
1) Employer Tip Sheet
2) Supervisor's Manual
3) Messiah College At A Glance
Messiah College
Internship Center
One College Ave.
Grantham, PA 17027
Phone: (717) 796-5099
Fax: (717) 691-2382
Michael True, Director
Email:
MTRUE@messiah.edu
http://home.messiah.edu/~mtrue/home.htm
Elisabeth Trott Clark, Assistant Director
Email:
BCLARK@messiah.edu
Michael Blount, Coordinator
Email:
MBLOUNT@messiah.edu
Debi Peterson, Contextual Learning Coordinator, Philadelphia Campus
Email:
DPETERSO@messiah.edu
