Strategic Internships Lead to Jobs

From pigeon605.com

Summer is internship season. Each year, thousands of college students complete summer internships, clinicals or practicums to gain work experience and network in their field. Southeast Technical College students are no exception, and work-experience locations are as diverse as STC’s program offerings.

“This past year, we had approximately 160 students complete an internship, clinical or practicum experience required for their program,” STC president Bob Griggs said. “Additionally, there were many other students that completed an internship related to their program but not required for graduation.”

Jason Merritt, dean of curriculum and instruction for the industrial trades, agrees.

“Internships are a valuable component of education that creates exposure to the careers our students are studying for,” Merritt said. “They connect students to industry and reinforce the skills being taught in our labs and classrooms.”

For Philip Enderson, that couldn’t be truer.

Enderson is a recent graduate of STC’s sports turf management program. Post-graduation, he landed a job maintaining greens at Pebble Beach Co. on the No. 1 rated public golf course in the country.

“It’s truly a dream come true and a position I could never have turned down,” Enderson said.

While he was an STC student, Enderson completed an internship between his first and second year at Prairie Club in Valentine, Nebraska, an experience he said was a turning point in his education.

“I had prior experience working the courses but primarily as a laborer,” he said.

“When I started the internship, I was able to step into more of a managerial role and had the opportunity to be involved with the management decisions at the course as well as with the crew and staff. The confidence this opportunity and experience gave me in both my professional and personal life has allowed me to feel comfortable taking this position in California.”

Emily Muilenburg, an STC media design technology alumna, echoed these sentiments.

Muilenburg, who graduated in May, is doing a post-graduation internship with C&B Operations in Sioux Falls. While in school, she gained experience working in STC’s marketing and communications office as an intern, along with experiencing the hands-on approach of her program.

“Having prior experience was helpful. Internships offer experience alongside industry professionals. The skills I learned through my internship and in class have gotten me to where I am today,” Muilenburg said. “Every job opportunity introduced me to new things in my field – whether that was working with design, web, video, photography or social media.”

In some industries, such as health care, work experience is not just an asset, it is essential. Most STC health care programs require clinical or practicum experiences as part of the program curriculum.

“The clinical experience that is required in many of our health care programs is a critical part of the curriculum,” said Stephanie Entringer, program coordinator for STC’s registered nurse program. “Not everything can be taught in a classroom, and the hands-on training our students receive through internship, practicum and clinical experiences is invaluable.”