6700 Beta Drive, Suite 300
  Mayfield Village, OH 44143
  Phone: 440/684-9700 | Fax: 440/684-9760
  www.ercnet.org | www.northcoast99.org | www.erchealth.com

Contact: Marty Mordarski, Director of Research & Membership, mmordarski@ercnet.org

Press Release
Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Local Internships Add Value for Students & Organizations

Cleveland – According to a recent survey released by ERC (Employers Resource Council) on internship practices and pay rates, among the most commonly cited benefits of internships for organizations are extra workforce support and an enhanced ability to recruit young workers. Over 80% of organizations say that interns provide their organization with extra workforce support and over half say that internships have led to increased exposure at colleges and universities and an enhanced ability to recruit young workers.

Even more importantly, interns are gaining valuable experiences at local organizations. The most common activities students are engaged in are related to learning and career development opportunities, including exposure to subject matter experts in their field of interest. Administrative tasks, traditionally a significant part of an intern's role within an organization, were the least commonly reported activity cited by organizations. In addition, interns not only have job descriptions, but are held accountable for the quality of work they perform as 89% of responding organizations say they evaluate their interns' performance. The emphasis on performance and meaningful assignments found in the survey is not surprising considering that employers are increasingly using internships to prescreen young candidates for full time employment.

Learning is not the only value attached to internships. A large majority (80%) of local organizations compensate their interns, many of which pay competitive wages per hour. Among the highest paid interns are those employed in engineering and information technology fields.

"Internships are valuable experiences for college students in terms of learning and exposure to projects that compliment their education," says Marty Mordarski, Director of Research & Membership at ERC, "They also are a highly effective way to keep exceptional young talent in our region, particularly individuals studying at our many local colleges and universities."

ERC is Northeast Ohio’s largest organization dedicated to HR and workplace programs, practices, training and consulting. The organization also hosts NorthCoast 99 and sponsors the ERC Health insurance program. For more information about ERC, check out www.ercnet.org.

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