(February 21, 2007)Z
University.org is the brainchild of Matthew Zinman. The idea is that
internship programs are badly conceived and executed if they exist at all.
ZUniversity offers expertise and resources in deploying world class internship
programs. Here's their view of the problem/opportunity.
Report after report confirms what most every
employer already knows: college graduates are “ill-prepared” to meet the
demands of our increasingly complex job market. The U.S. government is
seemingly more focused on holding higher education accountable than on
developing and supporting actionable solutions
Concern continues to build among employers as
the Baby Boomer generation exits the workforce. Yet too few employers
embrace the opportunity, accept social responsibility, or recognize their
inherent motivation to take action. Meanwhile, student demand for
internships continues to rise sharply and employers are failing to keep
pace.
STUDENTS
EMPLOYERS
ACADEMIA
●
Improve competencies
● Add
student productivity
● Help
students succeed
●
Career trial within or outside of chosen academic major
● Time
gains enable employees to achieve higher level tasks
●
Differentiate from other institutions to attract students
●
Increase market value
●
Cultivate recruitment pipeline
●
Strengthen employer relations
●
Build professional network
●
Inject enthusiasm & fresh ideas
●
Broaden education role
●
Obtain mentoring guidance
●
Build loyalty of future employees
● Add
value to offset rising tuition
● Earn
credit and money*
●
Add/broaden capabilities
●
Create non-profit “safety net”
●
Apply classroom learning
●
Uphold social responsibilities
●
Uphold social responsibilities
● Tap
into “hidden” job market
●
Prepare tomorrow’s workforce
●
Instill future alumni with loyalty
You might think that such a “triple win”
scenario would inspire positive change. However, with all due respect to
those who have developed world-class internship programs, we believe the
problems are that employers either do not know what they’re doing, do not
have the tools to do it right, or do not know what they’re missing.
The Intern Toolkit, which is at the heart of this endeavor, is a step by step
guide to installing and executing an Internship Program in your company. The
Toolkit contains four kinds of material: 1) Practical Tools, such as for project
management and performance measurement; 2) Adaptable Templates, 3) Practical
Insights, and, 4) Best Practices.
We
think that the material is interesting enough that you should get it if you are
considering an internship program or currently implementing one. We're pretty
certain that this is a first of its kind and that it will offer a meaningful
competitive advantage.