Internship Information for Employers
Internships are more than short-term opportunities—they’re a proven way to strengthen your workforce. Interns gain valuable real-world skills and experience, while employers identify top talent early. Research shows that companies with internship programs see higher retention rates than those without.
By partnering with Oakland Community College, your business can benefit in multiple ways:
- Save time and money on recruiting: OCC helps promote internships and provides a free referral service for qualified applicants.
- Gain fresh perspectives: Interns bring new ideas and innovative thinking to your workplace.
- Fill short-term needs: Get extra support for busy seasons or special projects.
- Maximize staff efficiency: Free up full-time employees to focus on higher-level priorities.
- Strengthen your community profile: Partnering with OCC enhances your reputation as a local employer of choice.
Post Internships for OCC Students
Handshake is our career platform that helps connect local and national employers with OCC students and alumni. If you are an employer looking to promote your internship opportunities through OCC Career Services, we highly recommend creating an account.
Post Internships with Handshake
Steps to Start an Internship Program
Here are some tips and best practices to help you start an internship program at your company.
Once you have established your goals above, you can start to build your internship program. Consider the questions below:
- When will your program start and end? Is it a seasonal program, for example? A summer internship program?
- How many interns would you like to hire, and for which departments?
- Will your interns work in the office or virtually?
- What kind of work/duties will your interns perform?
- What qualifications will you require?
- How will you enhance your interns' career readiness?
- Paid or unpaid? Check out naceweb.org/internships for more.
Create a comprehensive internship policy to ensure that your interns and managers are on the same page regarding expectations, responsibilities, and benefits.
Your internship program policy will resemble your standard HR policy, including compensation, work hours, and performance evaluations.
Internships build your early talent pipeline. Consider providing interns with mentor(s) or other workplace opportunities to provide coaching and guidance.
The more workplace opportunities you offer the more competitive your internship program will be.
When you invest in an internship program, you want to ensure that it's meeting your objectives. Determine your evaluation criteria in advance.
Be sure to survey your interns to collect their feedback and make improvements to your program over time.
Want to learn more? Explore more resources and best practices for starting your internship program.
Attract Students with Micro-Internships
Looking to connect with early-career talent? Employers can engage OCC students, assess their skills, and create a long-term talent pipeline with micro-internships through Parker Dewey. Micro-internships are short-term, paid, project-based opportunities that allow you to assess candidates’ skills in real time. Most projects are flexible and remote, typically requiring 10–40 hours to complete with deadlines rather than set hours.
Post Micro-Internships With Parker Dewey
Contact Information
Email Career Services
Phone: (248) 232-4730
Service Hours:
Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Location:
Auburn Hills Campus
B Building - 1st floor