Owens Internship Program

Why You Should Participate in the Owens Internship Program

An employer participates in the Owens Professional Experience Program for many reasons, which include:

• The College is in a position to provide a continuous supply of qualified interns.
  Employers are able to recruit specifically-trained interns to meet their needs.
• The College maintains a continuous flow of new talent into entry and mid-management levels of the work organization.
• The employer is in a position to better utilize existing employees in any given situation in which diversified staffing is possible through the utilization of college students in an internship program.
• The employer is able to lower recruiting and training costs for personnel who have student interns, as opposed to hiring, recruiting, orienting and training new personnel.
• The employer has the opportunity to select from among graduates recruited, screened and referred by the College.
• The employer may experiment with new positions and new staffing arrangements without making extensive investments or long-range commitments.
• The employer is able to assist the College in making its educational program more realistic and more closely related to the work environment and demands of the employer.

Employer Responsibilities

Any employer is in a position to participate in the School of Liberal Arts or FPA Department Internship program. However, the College has set the following criteria for employers participating in the program:

• A strong commitment to and an understanding of the concept of job shadowing, internships, field experience and cooperative education.
• A sincere intent to provide meaningful experiences relative to the student’s field of study.
• The ability and willingness of the employer to provide the student with well-planned and coordinated job experience commensurate with the goals of the instructional program in which the student is enrolled.
• Assignment of a designated supervisor who is supportive of the School of Liberal Arts or FPA Department Internship, who will be responsible for supervision and evaluation of student(s) on the job.
• When students are also attending classes at Owens during the School of Liberal Arts or FPA Department Internship, adherence to the College’s calendar relative to reporting to work school dates is imperative.
• Completion and return of an appropriate Learning Agreement for each student internship, if an agreement is not already in place with the employee.
• Completion and return of all necessary paperwork, including Learning Agreement, Work Plan and Evaluations at designated times.
• To communicate with the FPA Department Internship Faculty Representatives as necessary to insure a successful learning experience. This includes, but is not limited to, monthly meetings, job responsibilities, work schedules and any other problems or questions that may arise.

The employer is reminded that this is an educational venture, not just an easy way to recruit inexpensive employees, and therefore, the student should always be viewed as a student first, and an employee second. The employer should bear in mind that one role influences the other and helps to produce a more highly trained employee. The employer is also reminded that internship students are paying for this educational experience.

In addition to this educational opportunity, students earn 2 college credits toward their degree. It is the main responsibility of the employer, as teacher, to provide the education program that the student experiences on the job.

In this way, the serious and conscientious employer who participates in an FPA Department Internship for both the practical and educational reasons stated, plays a key role not only in the education of a college student but in the development and maintenance of a close relationship between the College and the professional community.