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During our time in the internship space, we have had the opportunity to provide thousands of Graduates with valuable Work Experience. Across a range of industries we have connected Host Companies with candidates, who have had the chance to grow and learn beyond what they thought they were capable of.

Although most businesses are aware of the benefits of engaging with interns in a general capacity, many haven’t considered the possibility of bringing one on board for a specific project.

IT issues are some of the most consistent problems faced by companies. For a start, there’s the issue of maintaining your existing infrastructure, as well as supporting the employees that use it.  Then, of course, there’s supporting enquiries, system administration of desktops and servers, performing system and software upgrades, supporting database systems, networks and PC applications, and helping your staff to get to grips with it all.

How can small businesses possibly create remote internship experience? Well, it is easier than you think and you wouldn’t be doing it alone. Readygrad is here to hold your hand, metaphorically of course, through the entire remote internship process. The National Association of Colleges and Employers recently asked over 200 employers how they are handling their internship programs. 

Remote internships are not a new phenomenon, in fact, tech organisations in Silicon Valley have been utilising remote interns for years (if there is internet there is a way). And with good reason. Inviting interns to operate remotely has an array of advantages. Not to mention an outstanding solution to making the most of young fresh talent during this current climate. 

So, if you want to join the likes of Google and Apple, we have some tips to set you up for an effective remote internship experience.   
 

Remote internships deliver the same value as traditional face-to-face programs. While interns complete their tasks for your business, they’ll be doing so from the safety of their own homes using digital platforms to communicate and accessing systems and software remotely. In addition to the obvious factor that remote internships allow your business and your interns to practise safe social distancing, engaging interns also offer a number of benefits that make them a viable and cost effective solution.

In an era where data and information are critical assets for decision-making, Knowledge Management (KM) has become an important practice as a way to maximise the intellectual capital among different areas of an organisation.

Interns can offer more to a workplace than just another set of hands. They can bring new perspectives, ideas and ways of looking at a business that may never have been considered.

For an eager, hard-working student, a professional internship with a host company provides insight to an industry and allows them to experience day-to-day activities in a workplace. Not only do student’s benefit from a professional internship, but employers who take a genuine interest in hosting at intern can gain some real benefits too!

An internship can mean many things to a student. It can vary from bridging a Degree and a Career, to utilising the experience to complete said degree in the first place. On the contrary, a host company can be seeking out an internship opportunity for a range of reasons, from giving back to their industry, to getting assistance in upcoming projects, or even looking for their next rock-star employee.

This is a high-impact and mutually-beneficial opportunity that offers ambitious students invaluable work experience and gives you the chance to progress a project or business challenge that you’ve perhaps been putting off due to resource or time limitations. 

Recent research on engaging the next generation of employees by the Allegis Group demonstrated that your brand’s success in attracting and retaining Gen Ys and Zs lies your ability to form authentic relationships with them. 

Here is a brilliant way for your brand to stand out from the sea of sameness.

If you think taking on an intern involves a long drawn-out process - think again! You could have a talented, eager young professional in your business within a couple of weeks. 

A properly-executed internship is an incredible learning opportunity for a young professional but have you considered these three long-term benefits to your team and business?

No matter what kind of business you are running, when you have a good team, you’ve got a great basis to build your business. If you are wondering how to build a good team whilst minimising expenses and time, promoting diversity in the workplace might be a good solution.

Being proactive with career development is critical for graduates to kick start their journey. But they can't do it alone. After all, we have all been at the starting line waiting for the starter's gun to go off. 

A student team is a group of students allocated to an in-company project. A team usually consists of 2-5 students, however can be larger based on the scope of the project. The team can be made up of students from the same discipline and focused on a specific area of the business or, if the project requires a more varied skill set, the student team can be multi disciplinary. 

Employers often ask us what they can do to ensure their intern has a really positive learning experience while adding value to the company. From our experience with 5,000 host companies, we’ve compiled a few simple rules that will help your intern become a valuable member of your team and perhaps even a future employee.