Internships provide a wealth of benefits for students and corporate managers as they work side-by-side in a real-world environment. Students gain practical, hands-on experience and employers get an infusion of fresh energy, diverse ideas and eager talent.
The full value of an on-site internship – the ultimate job interview – flowers when it leads to full-time employment.
That was before “everything went crazy,” said Tina Revels, university relations manager at KLA, during her Smart Workforce Pavilion presentation The New Reality: Digital Internships at the virtual SEMICON West 2020. Today, amid COVID-19 restrictions, everyone must adjust to a new reality – a virtual reality. Part of this substantial shift has led to internships going digital.
“Internships are more important than ever as we shift to a virtual reality,” Revels said, explaining how today’s job seekers and companies alike can make sure digital internships sustain the same mutual benefits as traditional ones.
At companies turning to digital internships, managers need to do more upfront planning to re-create real-world experiences that make interns “feel engaged and connected with one another,” Revels said. For prospective interns, digital internships require greater independence, self-management discipline, and responsibility than traditional internships – all critical skills that can lead to permanent employment.
Watch Revels’ full presentation below to learn how to get the most out of digital internships.
Register for virtual SEMICON West 2020 to access the additional Smart Workforce and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion sessions, which covered dynamic topics such as job searches during uncertain times, creating a culture of inclusivity, supplier diversity, and hiring military veterans. The content is available until September 20, 2020.
Learn more about the SEMI Foundation and how its Workforce Development and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives are helping build the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain’s talent pipeline.
Bryson Gauff is program manager for SEMI High Tech U.