This guide is intended for employers of interns from the College of Wooster. Students should consult the separate Student's Internship Guide.
For twenty-five years, the College of Wooster has offered academic credit for meaningful work experience in business. This is not a part-time co-operative program nor a short-term apprenticeship. Students who choose an internship at Wooster, are full-time employees of their sponsoring company for a period of twenty-two weeks. While there, they work closely with the firm's administrative and supervisory staff on a project important to the firm and worthy of academic credit.
Interns have been regularly placed with firms in the local area and with nationally recognized firms elsewhere. This booklet explains how the program works and some of the costs and benefits of participation.
"I felt your Business Intern Program was again beneficial to [our company]. Thank you for allowing us to participate." --Steve Hines, Comptroller, Smith Dairy Products Company
"Because of [our intern's] efforts, we were able to gain a better understanding of the area of competitive business intelligence." -- Pat Grennel, Market Research Mgr., The J.M. Smucker Company
"If [our intern] is representative of all of your [business] interns, you can certainly be proud of your program. Also, we would welcome another experience such as this next year." -- Tom Iceman, President, The Gerstenslager Company
For many years, businesses have found our Business Internship Program to be an attractive way to obtain motivated employees at a reasonable cost while, at the same time, contributing to the College community. This experience suggests that students are responsible and are capable of performing a variety of tasks that firms find worthwhile.
Participating students receive two courses of academic credit for the Internship. A biweekly report on work activities is submitted to the College. Following the internship, a final report is prepared which discusses the value of the internship and the relationship between the internship experience and academic work.
"I believe that my liberal arts education enabled me to pick up new skills quickly, and to accept and overcome all challenges. On the other hand, my internship has given me a practical business background. The two experiences combined have...given me confidence and a feeling of accomplishment" --Stephanie Calhoun, Intern, The J.M. Smucker Company
The Director of the program acts as an intermediary between sponsoring firms and prospective interns. The Director is responsible for maintaining the academic integrity of the program and for pre-screening interns. Pre-screening ensures that students meet minimum grade requirements and determines the interests and qualifications of each applicant. Interns are then matched with projects submitted by sponsoring firms.
The Director of the program also meets with the intern and his or her supervisor at the firm's place of business at least once during the internship. A second visit may also be arranged at the College of Wooster campus for the intern and member(s) of the firm.
What can our students do? A basic answer to this question is, >Whatever you normally expect of an educated entry-level employee.< Students eligible for this Program are college juniors most of whom have completed a substantial part of our Business Economics major. The major contains courses in economics, applied business, mathematics, and statistics. In addition, as a liberal arts college, we expect our students to be able to write well and to have good communications skills.
Employers in firms sponsoring interns for the first time, are often surprised to learn the types of projects our students are capable of doing. A sample of past internship activities includes:
These examples of actual projects show that our students are capable of a wide variety of projects, both in terms of content and sophistication.
The firm is expected to supply a non-clerical project or projects sufficient to provide full-time employment for the twenty-two week period of the internship. Managerial supervision should be provided as well as workspace in the firm's offices.
For the second eleven weeks of the internship, the firm will pay a salary of at least $1,500 per month (a total of approximately $4,000). Some firms decide to pay more than this or to spread the amount over the entire internship period. All financial arrangements should be made with the student prior to the start of the internship.
Sponsoring firms are supplied with the resumés and supporting files of prospective interns. The firms then interview candidates and select an intern. The actual selection and hiring of an intern is the responsibility of the participating firm. This gives students an excellent chance to hone the skills they will be using to find a job when they graduate.
The Internship Timetable: The internship is a twenty-two week program that normally begins in May of each year. In order to coordinate the program properly, we try to follow the timetable below:
Following is a list of firms that have participated in the Business Internship Program with the College of Wooster:
Akron Brass Company
Borg-Warner Company
Eaton Corporation
Fairchild Industries
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland
General Electric Company
Gerstenslager Company
Gormann-Rupp Company
Greenfield Printing & Publishing
Jomac Roller Company
Kirkby, Fitzgerald, Rynell & Burkett, CPA
Lake County Memorial Hospital
LuK Incorporated
Martin Oil Service
Medusa Cement Company
Morgan Guaranty Trust Company
Ohio Brass Company
Orrville Products Company
Rubbermaid, Incorporated
J.M. Smucker Company
Smith Dairy Products Company
Timken Company
S/V Tool Company
Seaman Corporation
Wayne County National Bank
Wooster Brush Company
Wooster Community Hospital
For more information on the Business Internship Program, contact:
Professor
John W. Sell
Dept.
of Bus. Economics
The College of Wooster
Wooster, OH 44691
(330) 263-2383
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