AGENCY TALENT time employees ;
• Provide a source of temporary employees ;
• Benefit from an injection of new ideas from students and academicians and stay current in a particular field ;
• Increase the profile of the organization in the community and at the educational institution ;
• Provide an opportunity to influence the structure of a school or college ’ s curriculum ; and
• Experiment with new positions or functions without having to make long term commitments
For Students
• Opportunity to assess career possibilities ;
• Opportunity to preview a future fit with an employer- agency or company ;
• Opportunity to develop job-related skills and train under both academic and practitioner supervision ;
• Enhance employment opportunities ;
• Enrich classroom instruction experience ;
• Earn money while possibly earning academic credit ; and
• Acquire training in the latest technology .
For Academic Institutions
• Provide a new avenue to assess student and academic quality ;
• Provide a new channel for applying management theory ;
• Create a source of practitioner input into curriculum development ;
• Provide a source of employment opportunities for students ;
• Contribute to the recruitment of qualified students ;
• Provide exposure to the business community which can lead to increased
• corporate donations ; and
• Deliver education that reduces classroom crowding when space is at a premium .
TYPES OF INTERNSHIPS
Internships come in many forms . An internship can be merely an external work experience or a carefully planned and monitored work experience in which the intern has intentional learning goals . Internships can be part of the academic institution ’ s curriculum , an individual students learning plan or simply an individual ’ s desire to explore career opportunities and earn some money while in school .
INTERNSHIPS FOR CREDIT
Internships may or may not carry academic credit . Internships for credit can be expected to come with a greater degree of structure and accountability on the part of the student , institution and employer .
PAID AND UNPAID INTERNSHIPS
While internships can be paid or unpaid , in most cases students do expect to get paid as part of the internship . This will likely attract a better quality candidate pool and enhanced dedication to the internship experience . You are encouraged to contact legal counsel regarding requirements for unpaid internships . Your state association , IIABA , other agencies and your companies can provide guidance on prevailing rates of compensation .
IMPLICATIONS AND STRATEGIES FOR INSURANCE AGENCIES
The first step in considering an internship is to identify the needs of the agency . What the agency wants to gain from such a resource will largely dictate what type of program is most suitable . For instance , if the primary goal is to secure a steady flow of potential permanent candidates , and the agency has the management time to provide adequate mentoring , an internship that is fully developed and structured at a college or university might be appropriate to fully leverage the relationship between the agency and the institution . On the other hand , if the agency is simply in need of temporary help for project-oriented tasks , or lacks sufficient management time to administer a formal program , a college placement service or
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