Hiring interns and apprentices can be helpful to your small business, but can also present some challenges. Here are some considerations for implementing an effective internship or apprenticeship program:
What Do Interns and Apprentices Do?
Because an internship or apprenticeship is often temporary, you won’t want to train an intern or apprentice in the same way you would a permanent employee. Instead, focus on a set of tasks that they can learn quickly, but that will also give them the hands-on industry experience they're looking for. Help them build confidence and skill from the ground up by assigning tasks such as:
- Administrative Support. Teach them to handle routine and fairly repetitive administrative tasks that don't require in-depth knowledge of your specific business operations.
- Shadowing. Have them work under the supervision of a full-time employee so they can see the work hands-on and practice and develop their skills where appropriate.
- Seasonal Projects. Have them assist with specific projects during peak business periods, such as holiday seasons, summer months, special promotions, etc.
- Research and Development. Give them a specific research project to complete. Since most interns and apprentices are students or recent graduates, they are likely to be well-practiced in researching and building presentations. Assigning this type of project will allow them to learn more about your industry, and help them develop valuable problem solving skills along the way.
If your intern or apprentice quickly aces these expectations and appears to have a lot of free time, feel free to expand their role as time goes on. Set clear expectations, provide ongoing feedback, and keep communication chains open to ensure they can effectively handle the workload.
Benefits of Hiring Interns or Apprentices
While an intern or apprentice will certainly demand your time and commitment, they can also help to alleviate some of the workload facing you and your business. Hiring an intern or apprentice can have other benefits as well:
- Can Provide New Perspectives. Interns and apprentices are often recent graduates or current students with an academic concentration in your industry. This allows them to bring the latest industry insights and best practices to the table. They may know of advancements in technology or software that could help your business be more efficient or effective. Treat the arrangement as a two-way learning experience and let your intern or apprentice voice their thoughts and opinions. You might be surprised how much you learn from them.
- Can Be Cost-Effective. Interns and apprentices are typically eager to learn and add to their professional network. They want to gain the real-world experience they’ll need to kick off a career, so they often require less compensation than someone looking for a full-time role. In some cases, interns may even receive academic credit for their internship instead of a paycheck.
- Allows You to Feed Your Talent Pipeline. Some interns and apprentices will be a perfect work culture fit, and you'll want to hire them as soon as they complete their internship or apprenticeship, or when they are done with schooling. This kind of arrangement eliminates one of the major and most costly barriers companies face with recruitment—hiring the wrong person. If you’ve had the chance to oversee an intern or apprentice and have been happy with their job performance, you can be more confident that they’ll succeed in a full-time role.
- Can Strengthen the Leadership Development of Your Team. Don't just assign anyone to mentor and train an intern or apprentice. Be intentional. Take advantage of this opportunity to improve your existing management's leadership skills in a lower-stakes environment. You could even mentor the mentor, helping them actively work on the skills you want your manager or supervisor to develop - in turn taking some responsibility off your plate in the long run.
While interns and apprentices can be a great way to help your business, it's important to keep in mind that there are state and federal laws around internships and apprenticeships. You will want to familiarize yourself with the laws pertaining to your specific state. Both Massachusetts and Rhode Island offer guidance on these types of training arrangements. You can find information on hiring an intern in Massachusetts at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/volunteers-and-interns, and information about hiring an apprentice in Massachusetts at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/apprenticeship-for-employers. The University of Rhode Island offers extensive information for small businesses considering an internship program at https://web.uri.edu/risbdc/old-blog-page/seven-tips-for-developing-a-small-business-intern-program/, and you can find information about hiring an apprentice in Rhode Island here: https://dlt.ri.gov/regulation-and-safety/apprenticeship.
At BankFive, we’re dedicated to helping the small businesses in our community succeed. If you are a small business owner in MA or RI, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for your business banking and business financing needs. We also have an array of management solutions to help your business thrive.