Most of us have been there – that awkward time between school and career. You feel like you’re ready to take on the world, but lack real-world experience. Time and again, experiential learning helps students bridge the gap between education and career. Internships or co-ops can open doors, build confidence, and allow students to apply their skills to real-world projects within an organization and gain practical hands-on work experience.

For employers, offering an internship serves as an introduction to the emerging market of top talent. Students graduating from college or university might be branching out into a second career, some are new to Canada, while others are polishing off a degree with a diploma and applied studies. The talent pool is vast. Graduates have the latest and greatest “toolbox” within their industry and are eager to apply their knowledge and bring fresh ideas.

How to carve out roles for interns

This year, more than ever, companies are experiencing strain and stress at work, so the thought of mentoring a student intern can be daunting, but this might actually be the best time. It may also seem like a challenge to carve out a role for the student – something that’s meaningful and worthwhile for both parties, but often, if we just stop to think about it, there are some obvious solutions.

• Have you put a project on hold due to staffing limitations?
• Is there a current project that could use an extra set of hands?
• Are there any projects that you keep pushing aside because you just can’t get to them?
• Consider tasks that were halted due to COVID-19 and have a student intern cross that off the ever-growing to do list.
• Consider your peak periods and year-end demands – what do you often wish you could do during that time with some extra hands?
• Maybe there’s a research or strategy opportunity that will give you valuable information.

It’s imperative that companies do not just see interns as free labour and have them doing mindless tasks, but rather see this as an opportunity to help one another out. It’s a smart and cost-effective business decision to look at internships or co-ops offered through local universities or colleges. With a large number of Canada’s workforce retiring in the next ten years, attracting and retaining qualified, skilled and experienced candidates may be a challenge. But a stable workforce is one built through growth, personal development and succession planning, which all aligns with the benefits of an internship!

3 Ways to make it work

To ensure your company and the student intern all benefit, follow these tips to make it work.

1. Provide valuable learning experiences

Engage interns in projects and the workplace, including meetings (yes, they want to go to meetings!). This will ensure the internship is more beneficial for you as well

2. Dedicate a staff member to provide guidance

A mentor can provide interns with constructive feedback while also giving a staff member the opportunity to gain management skills.

3. Engage interns from various programs

From HR and supply chain management to communications and marketing, there are soon-to-be grads looking for internships. Having interns from a range of programs will provide fresh ideas and new insights across your business and benefit all departments.

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This article was written by Gina Aiello. Gina is one of the internship coordinators at UWinnipeg PACE. She's been securing internship opportunities for PACE students for over 8 years. Gina wrote this article for the Western Retail Lumbar Association magazine, Yardstick, September 2020 edition.