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Learning for Life: Importance of Internships for Non-traditional Students

Learning for Life: Importance of Internships for Non-traditional Students. Lynn Brandt, MSE, GCDF Career Counseling and Internship Coordinator Adult Degree Program University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Who am I?. University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Total Enrollment 2012-2013 – 6,211

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Learning for Life: Importance of Internships for Non-traditional Students

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  1. Learning for Life: Importance of Internships for Non-traditional Students Lynn Brandt, MSE, GCDF Career Counseling and Internship Coordinator Adult Degree Program University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

  2. Who am I? University of Wisconsin – Green Bay Total Enrollment 2012-2013 – 6,211 Non-traditional student enrollment – 27% Total Enrollment in Adult Degree Program - 650

  3. Who are Non-traditional Students? 25 years-of-age or older Delayed post-secondary education Work at least part-time Have dependents Taking care of parents Financially independent from parts Veterans Displaced Workers

  4. Why do an Internship? A Typical Student Story: “When I first graduated from college, I thought, “ok, great I have my B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies, emphasis in Human Development. I can finally work in the career of my dreams: being an advocate for runaway teens. As I researched the jobs I really wanted, I saw that I was lacking one very vital thing, experience. All of my experience had been in the business world. In spite of it having always been my dream, I didn’t have any recent or tangible experience in a field related to my dream career. This could have been avoided if I would have done one simple thing…completed an internship.”

  5. Road Blocks Career changers have little to no experience in new career field Flexibility of internship hours Unpaid internships/financial barriers Difficulty communicating benefits of internships to students Fear of Failure

  6. Creative Solutions: Career Changers have little to no experience in new career field • Volunteering • Join Professional Societies • Workshops, conferences, conventions, seminars • Job Shadowing • Internships

  7. Creative Solutions: Flexibility of Internship Hours • Virtual Internships • Winternships • Shorter internships during academic year or summer • Weekend/evening internship opportunities

  8. Creative Solutions: Unpaid Internship/Financial Barriers • Great Lakes Higher Education grant awarded to UWGB which allows payment of interns who are at non-profit or public service agency • Intentionally build relationships with companies who offer paid internship opportunities • Internships at place of employment

  9. Creative Solutions: Difficulty Communicating Benefits of Internships to Students • Develop marketing resources from employers • Academic Advisors and faculty need to be supporting efforts to promote internships • Start promoting internships the moment students step in the door! • Use electronic resources

  10. Creative Solutions: Fear of Failure • Pretty Self-explanatory…We grew up trying NOT to fail…message sent loud and clear FAILURE IS BAD. Avoided an F on an exam, only tried out for sports teams you thought you had a relatively good chance of making and compromised yourself in the context of a relationship just to avoid failure.

  11. Steps taken to createInternship Program • Created Internship Manual specific to Adult Degree Program • Set up database to track internship sites and contacts • Plan outlined to begin creating program • Develop Relationships - Network with potential internship sites: do site visits, meet one-on-one with staff responsible for placing interns

  12. Steps taken to createInternship Program • Create internship-specific information documents • Created informational site on Desire-to-Learn (D2L) for students to access at their convenience • Career Counseling offered directly through program with expertise geared toward the non-traditional students • Career Development Plan for every student entering the program

  13. Steps taken to createInternship Program • Development of Internship brochure specific to targeting businesses • Use team approach to reach out into area businesses: create internship opportunities specifically for non-traditional students • Offer Career/Internship Fair geared toward non-traditional students/Possibly a virtual Career/Internship fair • Internship requirements create opportunity for reflection and synthesis of major learning outcomes • Capstone seminar for major to offer alternative Experiential Learning component

  14. Questions and Conversation…

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