Indiana INTERNnet and Internships in Indiana

Abstract

Together, PPI and the Indiana Business Research Center conducted an analysis on behalf of Indiana INTERNnet, Inc., to provide better information to strengthen and guide internship programs in Indiana. The study used several methods starting with a review of the literature on internships, followed by focus groups with employers, interns, and personnel representing college and university internship programs. The focus groups, in turn, informed personal interviews with a similar mix of stakeholders. These activities aided the design of a series of large-scale surveys targeting three key groups: Indiana employers, students nearing college graduation, and recent alumni of Indiana institutions. The results included the finding that nearly 55 percent of responding Indiana employers considered a relevant internship to be either important or very important when hiring recent college graduates. Also, 59 percent agreed strongly or moderately that their intership program is an important tool for recruiting entry-level employees.