Spotlight Online for Employment and Recruiting Professionals, April 28, 2010

Spotlight Online for Career Services Professionals, April 28, 2010

What is the purpose of internship programs, according to employers?  

Among employers responding to NACE’s 2010 Internship Survey, 83.4 percent say internship programs are designed to help the organization recruit entry-level college hires. Around one-third (31.1 percent) say the programs are there to help students gain experience, and just under 20 percent report offering internships as a way to build relationships with key schools. (Note: Respondents were able to offer multiple answers.) 

Running counter to recent reports in the national media, most respondents say they pay their interns. On average, 98.6 percent of respondents’ interns are paid. In fact, more than 90 percent of responding employers reported they pay all their interns.  

Overall, the average hourly wage for an intern at the bachelor’s degree level is $17. That rate fluctuates, however, depending on the student’s year of study and major, and depending on the employer’s industry.

The survey also found a correlation between doing an internship—either with the full-time employing organization or elsewhere—and staying on the job. At the one-year mark, approximately 86 percent of those who had interned with the organization—and 85 percent of those who had interned elsewhere—were still with the organization, compared to 81 percent who hadn’t served an internship. At the five-year mark, approximately 64 percent of those who had served an internship—either at the employing organization or elsewhere—were still on the job, compared with 57 percent of their colleagues who had not served internships. 

NACE conducted its 2010 Internship Survey from January 11 – March 5, 2010. A total of 235 organizations (26.6 percent) responded. The survey report will be available later this spring.