What is the purpose of an internship? How can students ensure they are getting the most out of the experience? Internship preparation classes can be a foundational way that students can succeed in their internship. Navigating the world of interning can be overwhelming, confusing, and scary. Internships are critical to one’s success in college and their career. According to the National Association for College and Employers, internships led to 81% of students securing a job in their chosen field (NACE). Thus, by students participating in an internship preparation class, students will be able to pursue and flourish at their future internships.

When students enroll in an internship preparation class, students can expect to leave the class with a variety of career skills that can be proven to increase success in an intern program. Some of the skills include the following:

• Interviewing
• Resume and cover letter writing
• Professionalism
• Communication
• Critical thinking and problem-solving

For the duration of the program, students can gain feedback from a professional, student skill increases. Students can expect to collaborate, participate, engage with their peers, and instructions to practice career-ready skills. Throughout, students continue to develop these core competencies and interact with professionals to better themselves. These critical components for obtaining an internship continue to develop throughout the program. Also, students will be exposed to the soft skills needed to succeed in an internship. Students need to practice being punctual, flexible, creative, thoughtful, and well-spoken. Further, students become self-aware of themselves, their strengths, and their weaknesses. When students have self-awareness they take the first step in ensuring they are more likely to succeed by knowing which skills to improve upon.

Future employers can expect to have employees that are already a step ahead of their peers. They will receive students that demonstrate key success traits. At the end of the program, students walk away with a better understanding of internships and confidence to succeed in any future endeavors. The time dedicated to enrolling and taking the class is an invaluable opportunity. Students will be investing in themselves and their future. Believe and Inspire commits to preparing students to succeed in internships.

To learn more about how to participate in the internship preparation program, please visit https://believeandinspire.org/.