Previous article overlooks paid programs as option for students
I’m writing in response to Ms. Stanton’s article titled “Decision between internships, debt looms” in The Daily Gamecock on Tuesday, Oct. 25. USC students understand it’s critical to graduate with “beyond the classroom” experiences to be competitive in today’s job market.
For some students, internships are required within their academic program. Students who receive academic credit for an internship can pay anywhere from $1,173.24 to $3,519.72 (S.C. resident) to $3,120.24 to $9,360.72 (non-resident).
Unpaid internships do exist; however, the Fair Labor Standards Act created six criteria that must be met by an employer, one of which states: “The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.” Recently, two interns who worked for the movie “Black Swan” have filed a class-action lawsuit charging the film’s production company with violating the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
Since launching the Community Internship Program (CIP) in 2009, the USC Career Center has partnered with over 165 employers in the state of South Carolina who offer paid internships. Thirty-seven different majors are represented by the 270 students who have participated in the program.
USC students also earned an average of $11.14 per hour this past summer, up $0.24 from last summer. Sixteen percent of students who participated in the Community Internship Program (CIP) this past summer also earned academic credit.
Companies can pay student interns! According to a survey of 250 companies by the University of Cincinnati and the Mead Corporation, internships prove to be 73 percent more cost effective over the first 21 months of full-time employment, saving the employer more than $24,000 per intern hired.
According to the 2011 Internship & Co-op Survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), approximately 67 percent of employers offered their interns full-time positions. One employer stated the following about its USC CIP student:
“As a financial services firm, when deciding between an intern or a part time employee, we did the math. What we weren’t prepared for was the quality of work provided by our intern. She has far exceeded our expectations, and surpassed the abilities of previous employees.”
Ms. Stanton is correct that students are “stressed enough worrying about finding a job to pay the bills after graduation,” but there are opportunities for students to earn academic credit in the summer while getting a well earned paycheck.
I’d be happy to address any questions you may have!
Yours in good health,
— Julie Hutt, assistant director for experiential education, USC Career Center