1.6 Use internship programs to promote technical jobs and the company as an employer of choice for women and men with diverse social identities
Content
Description of Best Practices
Create meaningful internship programs which provide insights and positive experiences to students while exposing senior leadership within the company to high-potential young women
Ensure internship outreach communication to schools:
- States the company’s equal opportunity policy
- Encourages women to apply and pursue STEM career
- Includes equitable messaging in outreach to parents
- Includes women role models from a variety of positions
Create high-quality internship programs with clear structure and sufficient/ dedicated resources:
- Clear targets and quality standards for each internship
- Orientation that shares company’s equity values
- One person in charge of coordinating and promoting it at universities and schools
- Intern supervisors trained to be aware of and eliminate gender bias in supervision and create a positive environment with clear instructions on managing interns
- Field- and office-based internships equally accessible to women and men
- Constant evaluation integrating feedback and suggestions from students, faculty, schools, and company personnel
Provide guidance and coaching for instructors for internships to feel more comfortable leading/ managing young women
Communicate targets and expectations to intern managers to ensure only employees with demonstrated leadership and capacity become intern managers
Challenges of Implementation
Poor quality internship programs may have an adverse effect with unintended negative consequences, such as word spreading in the education system about negative internship experiences (e.g., interns sometimes report that their internship program was ineffective or boring; they didn’t receive challenging tasks that helped them to grow; and that they had limited interactions with personnel)
High-quality intern management is required, with commitment from manager to spend the time required to support a positive internship experience, rather than viewing the management as an extra burden in addition to existing job duties
Limited numbers of female students and bias from teachers and parents may limit the flow of information for internship opportunities to the primary target group of female students
Legal framework and labor laws in countries may be unsupportive of internships
What Success Looks Like
Women with diverse social identities from targeted educational institutions apply for internships in higher numbers
Increased number of women accepted for internships in a wider variety of placements
Increased number of women and men with diverse social identities are job applicants from internship pool
Training for internship supervisors is expanded to include gender-equity and non-discriminatory practices
Interns and instructors for interns report high satisfaction with internship program
Female interns with diverse social identities show higher interest in working at the company and within the industry
Resources and Tools
Guide (incl. Sample Internship Job Description & Additional Resources): Shaping the Future of STEM: A Blueprint for Launching a High School STEM Internship Program (Abbott)
Guide (incl. Sample Evaluation Forms): Starting and Maintaining a Quality Internship Program (Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania)
Guide: Internship Program Plan (USAID)
Report/Study (incl. Good Practice Examples): Making Apprenticeships Work for Young Women (Young Women’s Trust