W hat’s your approach to bringing on new talent and seeing if bright young things are right for your organisation? Part of the internship process is seeing whether there is a fit between the future employee and the company. So, getting them in for a trial is great, but any successful programme must be more than some tokenistic Bring Your Tortoise to Work initiative. It won’t surprise you to read that I’m an advocate for apprenticeships; Realise has delivered more apprentices across the UK events arena than all the other providers combined. But one of the things that always saddens me is when organisations say “it’s okay, we use interns.” To me that’s like saying “Don’t worry about an anaesthetic; I took an aspirin earlier!” Don’t get me wrong; many interns are grateful for any work experience, but there are numerous problems with the process. While the practice of internships started with the medical profession and was rigorously controlled, it became picked up by other sectors, and not always with the necessary safeguards. You’ll have read stories about interns being exploited – long hours, no real training, no pay ‐ and often in the publishing and media sectors. Inevitably that means it would only be the well‐heeled who could subsidise their offspring in such roles. So much for diversity! Issues While such practices have – for the most part – disappeared, there are numerous other issues that exist. An intern’s role can be for an unspecified amount of time, and can encompass anything; so where is the structured learning, development, and assessment? Sure, if these interns are students from a university, you’ll probably have regular contact with someone to address issues around safeguarding, but it is unlikely that there will be much analysis of the work itself. If you do take on interns, who is training the managers in how to train them properly? What record‐keeping takes place? How is the learning transfer monitored? What about the actual proof that something has been achieved, rather than just six months of extreme tea making and photocopying? Where is the external scrutiny, recognition, and accreditation? Plus, no matter how good your
benefit both apprentice and employer; they will be part of a cohort of apprentices from other companies, sharing experiences outside their own organisation. They will also be attending workshops that allow them to embed their knowledge within theoretical frameworks. It also means, from an early age, your new employees are mastering the vital This is about a different way of learning. On reflection, would you like to spend months studying in a classroom and then have a chance to try and put that accumulated knowledge into action in one hit? Or would you prefer bite‐size learning inputs followed by the chance to apply and reflect on the results? Most of us are what are known as activist learners; after a session of input we art of networking. Different
programme – and I have no doubt it is good – where is the proof of a transferable skill? Your programme is simply that; your way of doing things. What are you doing to get new ideas, to take on new people who might challenge you? It can seem painful, but remember it’s the grit in the oyster that creates the pearl. Contrast an internship with a modern‐ day apprenticeship. An apprentice is recruited with the same process as any other member of staff. The apprenticeship lasts up to 18 months, so this isn’t a short‐
sighted decision. Flexible
Apprentices must spend 20 per cent of their time undertaking off-the-job training. In the past that would have involved going to college; now the situation is much more
It can seem painful, but remember it’s the grit in the
oyster that creates the pearl
want to try these ideas out. Just like the apprentice, you will be held to account by the external coach, who will be examining how the relationship is working. Use the apprentice for tea making and envelope stuffing and expect to pay the consequences. It’s worth noting that apprentices tend to be far more loyal towards their employer; they also go on to make better managers, coaches, and mentors. Maybe that’s because of the way in which they have been developed; after all, behaviour is often contagious.
flexible. Have them spend a few hours each week reading about the industry, studying online courses, shadowing colleagues in other departments, even working with a client or supplier. It makes them a far more rounded person in terms of outlook, and the regulated hours swiftly mount up. They are also working towards a nationally recognised standard, put together by leading figures in this industry, and closely scrutinised and regulated by government. There are other dimensions that
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