Engineering Interns
Internships have long been seen as a way for companies to get cheap labor. Unfortunately, this abuse of the system has been called out many times and it’s starting to scare away new recruits that have a lot of potential. Engineering and manufacturing firms of all sizes need to look for ways to establish a healthy company culture and a team that meshes well together, and the best way to achieve this level of cooperation is to introduce engineering interns to your team and have them learn as they meld with the team.
So here are a couple of tips on how to train an engineering interns to be productive member of your company from the very first day.
Develop a strong internship program
A strong internship program will help attract talented individuals from across the country. From offering accommodation such as dorms to giving them employee-like benefits, a strong internship program is a must if you want to attract the best of the best.
Transparency is important to gain their trust
During the internship, it’s vital that you remain as transparent as possible to help establish a sense of trust between you and your engineering interns. You shouldn’t hide things from them and you should be clear about their position in your workplace and the opportunities that you can offer them. Hiding anything will remove any sense of trust and will be problematic in the future.
Invest in their skills and education if they show promise
Investing in your employees is a must for any productive business, but you should also consider investing in interns that show promise. Online universities such as KUO offer fantastic technical degrees that can help teach your employees practical skills. Investing in these types of courses improves the technical skill of your engineering interns while also solidifying their loyalty to your brand.
Don’t hesitate to give them homework
Homework can sound a little demeaning, but for an engineering or manufacturing-focused business, it’s important to give interns “homework” to help them understand your workflow and processes so they can easily integrate with your team.
Understand their skills and what they bring to the table
Engineering interns can come from a variety of different backgrounds and it’s your responsibility as an employer to understand what they excel at. By understanding their history, you can assign them a role that best suits their experience, but can also help them grow their skills to become a productive member of your team.
Focus on both cultural immersion and their technical skills
At the end of the day, skills can be taught to an intern which makes them more valuable to a company. However, their personality and attitude are two things which cannot easily be altered. That’s why it’s important to hold on to the engineering interns that you feel can contribute to your company and teach them skills later on. However, you should also be looking at their potential and ability to learn new things at an accelerated pace. The perfect intern should show promise in both fields, not just one.
