Share | | | | |
  • Go

Section Menu

 

Get Connected

External Address (Url)
Flash Animation1
To control the size of the flash movie, you can use the property window and replace the description with the width and height in parenthesis. For ex (300, 400)

March, 2010

Why Interns Are Good For Business

In this Issue:

Internships: Beneficial for Businesses Large and Small


IntershipsMost large companies have long understood the benefits of hosting interns. Like speed dating, internships allow companies and interns to explore multiple possibilities without long term commitments. Some large companies plan to offer fewer internships next summer; this may open the door for small businesses who previously felt they could not compete for quality interns.

With less competition from large corporations, small businesses will be able to attract excellent intern candidates. Why interns are good for business: Smart companies look for talent, staff on shoestring explains that “smaller companies are now realizing they can counter with an offer of a real-world, hands-on experience running a business.” The article provides the case-in-point of Blake Mycoskie’s company, TOMS shoes, well-known for giving away a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. “Mycoskie says, ‘College students were really drawn to what we were doing.’ In return, Mycoskie was able to double his staff without getting buried in payroll costs.”

A recent New York Times business article reports that “small businesses can win by offering interns opportunities to do a greater variety of work and more responsible tasks than they might do in a big company, and by stressing the personal connection with the top people in the business.”

Tom Kozicki, executive director of the MBA Career Center at the University of California in Irvine, explains that “[s]ummer internships are a way a small company can get specialized and unique help they otherwise couldn’t get, or couldn’t justify hiring permanently.” (quoted in a Wall Street Journal Blog).

Offering internships may be more cost effective than you anticipate. A nonprofit agency may be able to offer an internship opportunity while paying just 25% of the hourly pay. In the June 5, 2009, Inside Tucson Business, Mark Dalessandro discussed teaming with “local universities [that] encouraged their students receiving financial aid from the Federal Work-Study(FWS) Program to work off campus at nonprofit groups.” The FWS program pays 75% of the hourly wage. Additionally, interns may be willing to work for moderate wages or small stipends if the internship enables them to earn college credits.

Not all internships require businesses to provide workspace. Virtual internship offerings have recently expanded. This would be ideal for small businesses or non-profits needing short-term technical or marketing assistance.

Your regional Business Services Advisor can assist you in your internship program development by linking you to area colleges and universities seeking internship opportunities for their students. Advisors at WorkNet Centers can connect your business with talented intern recruits.

Additional Information and Resources


success

Social Media


Need Help With Social Media?
Illinois workNet has been hosting a series of webinars.
Click here to register for our upcoming webianr.

Want More?
Download resources and PowerPoints; view archived webinars and collaborate with others on Illinois workNet's Social Media Page.

Are You Connected? Lets Be Friends:
Join Us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn

Make Your Voices Heard


The WIA Works Campaign:
Overview
WIA Works Checklist
How WIA Works for You
Interactive WIA Map
Congressional Contacts

Share Your Story:
Sylvester LeBlanc, 62703 "In Chicago, if you’re in a rough neighborhood like the one I grew up in"...read more

Fill in the fields below to subscribe.

 
 
  • Get Local Information

    Change zip code to view other local promos on this and other pages.

       

  • Statewide Interest

    Economic Recovery Resources
    AARA emblem
    To learn about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and identify projects being funded with taxpayer money, look for this emblem throughout Illinois workNet and on the internet.

    Learn more about the ARRA External link opens in a new window

  • Share how WIA Works for You
    WIA Works in Illinois WIA Works is an initiative to inform our communities of the important and successful work that takes place every day across Illinois to help career dreams become a reality.

    Take action, and contact your Representative. Let them know how and why Workforce Investment Act (WIA) matters to you and tell your WIA employment and training success story.

    Follow WIA Works on Twitter External link opens in a new window and Facebook External link opens in a new window

  • IL Department of Transportation - Economic Recovery Information

    The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) includes $48 billion for transportation infrastructure consisting of highways and bridges, mass transit, rail and aviation.

    The transportation system in Illinois is at a crossroads, and is in need of the additional federal funds provided by the ARRA. ARRA funds will be utilized to support safer transportation systems, address environmental concerns, offset the erosion of the construction dollar, address the crippling levels of congestion/delay and meet the transportation demands of the future.

    In order to access the first half of the highway stimulus funds coming to Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has identified projects that can be awarded quickly to put people to work in the construction industry and to utilize the upcoming construction season. While the list of projects is larger than expected in the first wave of funding, it will allow Illinois to be in a position to spend any funds redistributed from other states.

    Click here External link opens in a new window to get more information and see a list of projects.


  • Is Your Business Positioned to Grow?
    IEN Banner Is your business positioned to grow with just a little help from people with know-how and the right connections? If so, the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network (IEN), the umbrella for all Illinois' small business services, can give you that help.  IEN helps you cut through the tangle of resources and find the ones you need to achieve your goals. This one seamless system makes it easy for you to to accelerate your company's growth.

    Visit the IEN website External link opens in a new window today.

  • Looking for the Official Business Link to the U.S. Government?
    Business.gov logo Business.gov provides quick and easy access to business laws, government regulations, forms and agency contacts.

    Visit the Business.gov External link opens in a new windowwebsite today.

  • Low Income Energy Efficient Residential Retrofit Program

    More than $213,000 in grants will help existing low-income homeowners replace items such as refrigerators, furnaces, lighting, dishwashers and air conditioners with energy-efficient models.

    Legislation approved last year created funding for programs and incentives through money from ComEd and Ameren to reduce electrical energy usage and demand by company customers.

    Click here External link opens in a new window to learn who is eligible and  how the process works.


  • Mentoring and Volunteerism as a Dropout Prevention Strategy
    Tutor/Mentor Connection In many of our schools, half or more of high school students do not graduate, let alone leave high school prepared to fully participate in civic life. 

    Businesses have an opportunity to get more personally involved in the lives of students in high poverty neighborhoods with failing schools to help end this crisis. 

    Learn more at the Tutor/Mentor Connection External link opens in a new window.

  • Register Your Company with Buy Illinois.Net
    Buy Illinois Logo The "Buy Illinois" initiative is a statewide series of regional trade fairs, procurement workshops and training programs designed to stimulate more in-state, business-to-business commerce and increase the self-sufficiency of the Illinois economy.

    Register your company at the Buy Illinois External link opens in a new windowwebsite.

  • The U.S. Economic Census
    U.S. Economic Census Logo The Economic Census profiles American business every 5 years, from the national to the local level. Detailed information provided by geographic area, zip code, and industry.

    Visit the U.S. Economic Census External link opens in a new windowto increase your knowledge of the business climate.

values: no - before after

Footer

Copyright © 2006 - 2010 Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Illinois workNet Centers are an equal opportunity employer/program. At Illinois workNet Centers, auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. All voice telephone numbers on this website may be reached by persons using TTY/TDD equipment by calling TTY (800) 785-6055 or 711.