Obtain commitments for internship positions from prospective employers
(August through April)   

• Canvass Advisory Board (AB) members first.
• Secure commitments from companies on Advisory Boards (some Academies require a commitment for 2 internships from AB members when they sign up for the AB; one from their own company, and one from one of their contacts in the business community).
• Ask Advisory Board members to help with referrals to other companies.
• Call on companies who have employed interns in the past.
• Send mailings to all companies within your community.  If available, include press clippings and employer reviews about past internships (talk with AB members about testimonials).
• Arrange to speak at meetings of local business organizations (Chambers of Commerce, professional associations, service associations, etc.)  Follow up with a letter to each attendee.
• Arrange for press coverage:  newspaper or on local radio or TV.  Describe the Academy program, special Academy features and events, and emphasize internship needs.
• Make sure the students are your primary spokespersons. They can help solicit support.  Bring student representatives to all meetings and internship recruitment events.

Screen students for eligibility
(March through April)

• Set eligibility guidelines (ex. minimum grade-point average, attendance, behavior, appropriate dress requirements, etc.)  Note also that some students' current maturity level may preclude them from eligibility until sometime during their senior year.
• Conduct resume-writing workshops.  Invite human resources specialists from Advisory Board member companies on-site to help with the workshop.
• Prepare an employment portfolio for each student.
• Distribute confidential teacher evaluation forms to all Academy teachers.
• Set deadline for preparation of student resumes.
• Review resumes and evaluations to make preliminary assessments of students' suitability for particular types of work, and certain prospective internship providers.

If appropriate to your community, work with school district to establish independent study credit for the Academy internship experience.

Schedule interviews
(April through May)

• Conduct a pre-internship seminar in school. Include presentations on business etiquette, dressing for success, time management, and other topics appropriate for new interns.  Seek help from AB members companies.

• Do mock interviews in school prior to the actual interviews.

• Organize interview "teams":

  • one Academy staff representative
  • one or more employer representative (preferably from the human resources department and/or the department where the interns will be working).
    

• Schedule students for interviews with Academy staff/prospective employers.

• Collect and analyze interview results.  Make placements. 

Notify students and prepare selected students for internships
(April through May)

• Internship placement or no placement letters should be sent to students.
• Hold orientation session for students.
• Check for appropriate employment documentation (i.e. copies of social security cards).
• Distribute an internship information packet.
• For students who are not placed, schedule another meeting to discuss improvement opportunities, and help prepare them for internship later in the summer, or in their senior year.

Prepare employers
(April through June)

Prepare employers by providing them with the following:

• an information packet describing the goals, expectations and competencies to be covered during  the internship experience.
• a list of student responsibilities, capabilities, and limitations, guidelines to plan in-house mentor programs, lunch seminars, field trips, internship newsletter, end of summer ceremony, or other activities for interns.

During the internship
(June through August)

• Visit intern at place of work two weeks into the internship and visit again near the end of internship.  Keep reports.

• Cooperate with employer-organized activities; provide logistical support.

• Be available to advise student interns and to consult with and solve problems for employers.

• Seek press coverage and photos of internships in progress.  (This will be useful in next year's employer recruitment).

Follow up with students
(June through August)

• Obtain written reports and confidential evaluation forms from each student on internship experience.
• Evaluate each internship report for writing and content.  Meet with students to discuss both strengths and weaknesses from evaluations; suggest strategies for improvement.
• Determine and submit grades for students receiving high school credit for their internships.

Follow up with intern supervisor and company
(August through September)

• Obtain supervisors' evaluations of students.

• Write thank you notes to all supervisors (or reminders to those who don't complete their evaluations on time).

• Write to CEOs of sponsoring companies.  Include samples of feedback from interns and supervisors.  Encourage them to increase their involvement next year.

Remember to...
(August through June)

• Report internship statistics to NAF (number of participants, employer names, etc.) and send copies of press clippings and feedback from sponsors.  Raise ideas and problems to be shared with other programs.
• Start developing internships for next year (most calendar-year companies begin to prepare their budgets in the August/September timeframe, and finalize them by November).
• See additional Action Steps/Critical Timeline to Internship Identification and Development in the introduction to the Employer Preparation/Planning section of Internship Toolkit