1. Dr. Lynda Fuller Stephanie Battis College of Business Wilmington University

2.  Defining an internship and a co-op  What does the research say?  Summary of feedback of employers from the College of Business, Wilmington University  Bridging the gap between employers needs and what higher education is providing  Sharing experiences

3.  Internship-An academic internship is a credit bearing, career-related work experience of limited duration in which an individual student takes on responsible roles outside of the traditional organization, government office or for profit business. Often unpaid.  Co-op-Program which alternates periods of academic study with periods of work experience in appropriate fields of business, government, social services. Often paid. Normally structured job responsibilities. Active engagement.

4.  Internships bridge the gap between college and the working world  Resume boasting  Networking potential  Helps student decide what they really want to do  Gives student an understanding of what it means to show up every day to the office, working environment, held accountable, meet and interact with multiple people  Low commitment opportunity to obtain first hand experience in a career they are curious about  Harder to get a job directly from graduating from college  Young people are not leaving formal education with the kind of skills needed by employers-problem solving, communication skills, team management.  A college needs to make their students more attractive to potential employers  Organizations and employers need to work more closely together to develop needed skills of students

5.  Some knowledge of field the internship/co-op is in  Multi-task  Computer skills (Excel)  Can-do attitude  Team Player  Well developed written and oral communication skills

6.  Areas we need to improve on:  Needs to exhibit confidence  Develop better time management skills  Need to be more open to constructive feedback

7.  Important that internships and co-ops are of a high quality-they should not replace real jobs.  Clearly defined learning objectives.  Communicate with the employer a guide for quality internships-good learning experience.  Manufacturing (machine operating) less opportunities to attract students-paid internships.

8.  Recognition from top management  Sell the experience to students  Make sure students are prepared (make it a curriculum requirement or at least a visible choice)  Ask the intern for feedback on the internship  Encourage company to pay for the internship  FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) defines “employ” very broadly. Challenge for profit organizations.

9.  Six-factors to determine if an intern is an employee according to the FLSA:  According to the FLSA, 6-factors that need to be met to be excluded in an internship from FLSA  The internship is similar to training that would be given in an educational environment  The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern  The intern does not replace regular employees  The employer derives no immediate advantage of the intern’s activities  The intern is not entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship  Both employer and intern understand intern will not be paid

10.  Specific feedback form for the employer  Eighty percent of jobs are secured through networking  Students who do an internship or a co-op have an advantage over those that do not.

11.  Brown, D 2014 Internships and FSLA Psychology Journal, 11, 2 p 108-117  Curet, C. 2013. Bridging the Gap:Internships,Stanford University. Pgs. 1-3.  Karydes, M. 2014, Can Paid Internships Help Bridge The Gap In Manufacturing? Pgs. 1-8.  Internships bridge the gap between college and the working world. http://www.cob.fsu.edu http://www.cob.fsu.edu