Innovation:
Provide Internships
If a training program is designed to prepare learners for high skilled jobs, a good way to help them see their new skills in action, gain marketable experience, and demonstrate their value to employers is through internships. These short-term work assignments with real employers provide a number of benefits to the learner. Through the internship, learners can:
- Gain industry knowledge that cannot be obtained in the classroom or online
- Gain appreciation for the culture and practices of the industry and its workforce
- Accumulate evidence of their proven abilities in the workplace
- Make contacts in the industry that can be helpful for referrals and providing references
- Build confidence in themselves
- Possibly secure a full time job (Vogt, n.d.)
Internships may not always be necessary for the learner to gain entrée into a new industry or position, but for industries where it helps to have proven experience or insider status, it may be very difficult to gain a job otherwise. Some sector-based training programs that have found it important to include an internship component include those for financial services (see Year Up example), as well as automotive and truck technicians and computer support specialists (Goldberger et al, 2005).
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