Ellen Wexler of Inside Higher Education, writes about a unique approach to internships adopted by several employers and the University of Cincinnati. Both Cincinnati Insurance and Proctor and Gamble have leased space near campus so that student interns don’t have to travel to their office locations. Interns’ hours are flexible and accommodate class schedules.
“Cincinnati Insurance hasn’t just pursued this strategy out of the goodness of its heart, or to give students flexible jobs. When it opened its on-campus location, Cincinnati Insurance was having trouble recruiting. It wanted a steady supply of motivated, professional workers, and it hoped to capitalize on the nearby student population. And maybe, eventually, those students would become full-time employees….
“During the summer, interns train full time at the company’s headquarters. During the academic year, they work at the on-campus center, usually for about 20 hours a week. While deadlines are firm, hours are not: students work when they don’t have class, putting in a couple of hours here and there.
“Everybody wins, company leaders say: students get work experience, flexibility and $11 an hour. Cincinnati Insurance gets access to a steady source of reliable, talented workers early on in their careers, before they’re lured away by other companies.”