Program Overview and Guide: Summer 2011

The Vermont Technology Council is very pleased to take its state‐wide Internship Program into its second year. Begun in April of 2010 and now supported in part by a Vermont Department of Labor Next Generation Internship Grant, this program seeks to create hundreds of new summer jobs over the next few years for college students to work with Vermont‐based technology‐enabled companies. The Technology Council is committed to supporting Vermont businesses in their growth and on‐going success; this project is an integral part of building Vermont’s workforce, today and for the future. Whether internships are new or current practice in your business, this program will provide maximum exposure of the opportunities you offer to students in and out of state.

There is a gap to be filled: students know they need the life and work experience that a summer job can offer; employers know they need a better pipeline of new employees. The Technology Council wants this internship program to send a clear message that workforce education and training opportunities are abundant and strongly supported in Vermont – and that Vermont has the talent pool necessary for robust economic activity.

THE SPECIFICS:

I. The Company

• Any technology‐enabled business can participate; the internship position can be for any job in the company, e.g. sales, marketing, engineering, technology, IT.
• The business handles all of the screening and hiring of prospective interns.
• The intern is employed during the summer and paid by the business.
• The work performed by the intern is integral to the work of the business, whether in the form of a special project or part of day‐to‐day operations. The work, like that of other employees, should have real value for the business. The Technology Council can assist in developing an appropriate job description for the intern.
• The intern should receive quality supervision and mentoring.Weekly hours and length of internship of these positions are up to each employer.
• Internship Opening Submission Forms are submitted electronically.

II. The Intern

• Students submit their application materials directly to the business.
• Intern will be asked to give feedback at the end of the summer.

III. Intern Recruitment and Support from the Technology Council and Its Partners

• All positions will be posted on the Technology Council website. The link, http://www.vttechcouncil.org/internships.html and the positions themselves, will be widely distributed to schools in and out of Vermont.
• Program Director, Michele Ferland Kupersmith, is available to help with all aspects of the process. In addition, the Technology Council has partnered with multiple businesses organizations and economic development entities across the state.

IV. Contacts

Michele Ferland Kupersmith, Program Director of the Vermont Technology Council Internship Program
Email: techcouncil@uvm.edu Phone: 802.656.8780

John Evans, President of the Vermont Technology Council
Email: john.evans@uvm.edu Phone: 802.656.3117