GREATER NAPLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Member Login
    • Join the Chamber >
      • Chamber Champions
    • Benefits of Membership >
      • Affinity Partners
    • Business Directory
    • Chamber Investors
    • Job Bank
    • Ambassador Program
    • Business of the Month
    • Testimonials
    • Member Event Submission
    • Naples on the Gulf
  • ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • Retention/Expansion
    • Workforce & Talent >
      • CCPS
      • Higher Education
      • Community Partners
    • Economic Development Partners
    • Certificate of Origin
  • PUBLIC POLICY
    • Workforce Housing
    • Workforce Training
    • Water Quality
    • Economic Opportunity
    • One-Cent Sales Surtax
    • Sign Up For Advocacy Watch
  • LEADERSHIP
    • Leadership Programs >
      • Leadership Collier
      • Assoc. Leadership Collier
      • Youth Leadership Collier
      • Leadership Alumni
    • Emerging Talent >
      • Internship Opportunities
      • Internship Toolkit
    • Mentor Matching
    • Emerging Leadership Council
    • SUPPORT LCF
    • LCF Board
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • EVENTS & PROGRAMS
    • Events Calendar
    • Wake Up Naples
    • Accelerated Networking Lunch
    • Annual Meeting
  • LIVE/VISIT
    • Visit
    • Local Resources
    • Demographics
    • Why Live Here?
    • Community Events
    • Visitor and Relocation Packet Form
  • ABOUT US
    • Chamber News
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Team
    • Brand Guidelines
  • Contact
  • CHAMBER UPDATES | Blog
  • Sign Up For Chamber Updates!
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Member Login
    • Join the Chamber >
      • Chamber Champions
    • Benefits of Membership >
      • Affinity Partners
    • Business Directory
    • Chamber Investors
    • Job Bank
    • Ambassador Program
    • Business of the Month
    • Testimonials
    • Member Event Submission
    • Naples on the Gulf
  • ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • Retention/Expansion
    • Workforce & Talent >
      • CCPS
      • Higher Education
      • Community Partners
    • Economic Development Partners
    • Certificate of Origin
  • PUBLIC POLICY
    • Workforce Housing
    • Workforce Training
    • Water Quality
    • Economic Opportunity
    • One-Cent Sales Surtax
    • Sign Up For Advocacy Watch
  • LEADERSHIP
    • Leadership Programs >
      • Leadership Collier
      • Assoc. Leadership Collier
      • Youth Leadership Collier
      • Leadership Alumni
    • Emerging Talent >
      • Internship Opportunities
      • Internship Toolkit
    • Mentor Matching
    • Emerging Leadership Council
    • SUPPORT LCF
    • LCF Board
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • EVENTS & PROGRAMS
    • Events Calendar
    • Wake Up Naples
    • Accelerated Networking Lunch
    • Annual Meeting
  • LIVE/VISIT
    • Visit
    • Local Resources
    • Demographics
    • Why Live Here?
    • Community Events
    • Visitor and Relocation Packet Form
  • ABOUT US
    • Chamber News
    • Board of Directors
    • Our Team
    • Brand Guidelines
  • Contact
  • CHAMBER UPDATES | Blog
  • Sign Up For Chamber Updates!

Chamber UPDATES

Why internships are a good idea for businesses and students

5/15/2019

1 Comment

 

ALEX BREAULT, DIRECTOR OF WORK-BASED LEARNING

Picture
With summer quickly approaching, students across the region are starting to sketch out plans for their time off from school. For some, that may mean a part-time job or volunteering. For others, it’s the perfect opportunity to explore an internship.

Volunteer hours are now a graduation requirement at many high schools and colleges. Students try to complete these hours early in their education usually with an organization they are passionate about, but they’re often faced with a question of how they can earn money, while also gaining the valuable experience necessary to excel in their chosen field.

The solution: Internships. As more and more employers throughout Southwest Florida offer paid internships, students can get hand-on experience in their area of interest while earning a small income.

Alex Breault, director of Work-Based Learning for The Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce (Photo: Photo provided)
Internships have a long-term impact on a student’s future. Traditional part-time, summer jobs are beneficial in a wide variety of ways, including teaching students the necessary soft skills – from arriving on time to customer service – that are vital to their future success. But they aren’t always in a student’s desired area of professional growth.

Traditional internships provide students with access to training that will hone their skills, mentors who will encourage their success, and opportunities that will open their eyes to what the future can hold.

While the number of internships is growing, not every student can spend a summer working in their desired field. That means employers across all industries should take steps to create positions that emulate the internship experience. At the Leadership Collier Foundation, an affiliate of the Naples Chamber, we work with local businesses and schools to create the right opportunities for our businesses and future talent.

When our team talks to employers about intern opportunities, we encourage them to consider hiring a student beginning at minimum wage. Although unpaid internships are beneficial to students who receive school credit, employers who can offer paid internships are quickly able to see it was worth the investment. Offering paid internships opens the door to a more diverse pool of interns, allows interns to feel like they are part of the team, and leads to a more productive and positive experience. As students begin their hunt for a summer job, we encourage local businesses to look at ways they can incorporate work-based learning into their offerings.Students who have traditional, part-time jobs – such as working in the mall or at a restaurant – should be able to have the same education-based experience as an intern. Employers can do that by providing student employees with a variety of learning opportunities, from providing an inside look at operations and the opportunity to work in other departments to continued education and constructive feedback.

And traditional internships aren’t always the answer. Employers can consider adding micro-internships to their host of opportunities, opening the door to the next generation of employees. These are short-term, paid professional assignments that can be completed by an entry-level new hire, with minimal guidance or onboarding. Micro-internship projects can be anything from social media monitoring, to data clean up or content creation. Assignments can range from five to 40 hours of work, typically pay between $200 and $600 per project, and can be completed remotely. This type of internship is attractive to employers who either aren’t ready to host an intern or don’t have the resources to hire a part-time intern.

“I believe that the best real-work experience a student can have is through an internship,” said Denise Murphy, general manager at the The Players Club & Spa. “Internships help students develop and learn professional skills that promote growth and development. As an employer, it gives us the opportunity to mentor, teach and guide our interns in their learning process. The best part is we get to nurture their skillset and ideally bring them on as a paid full-time employee.”

Our economy thrives when we provide students with educational and fulfilling work experiences. These opportunities expose students to high-skill, high-wage jobs available in Southwest Florida and help grow the next generation of community leaders.

For more information about work-based learning, visit www.NaplesChamber.org/CollierLeads.

Original Story shared in Naples Daily News

https://www.naplesnews.com/story/opinion/2019/05/10/connect-chamber-why-internships-good-idea/1134626001/
1 Comment
Angie Marini
9/12/2019 11:13:39 pm

Are your internships paid or unpaid?

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All
    Advocacy
    Alumni Inspirations
    Associate Leadership Collier
    Business Of The Month
    Chamber News
    Economic Partnership
    Events
    Leadership Collier
    Leadership Collier Foundation
    Member Expertise
    Member Feature
    Work Based Learning
    Young Professionals

    RSS Feed

The Greater Naples Chamber.  All Rights Reserved.
2390 Tamiami Trail North, Suite 210  | Naples, FL 34103
Phone: 239.262.6376  | info@napleschamber.org  | sitemap
MemberClicks