More than 150 participants at the 7^th Annual Lehigh Valley Internship Summit on July 23 learned about trending topics related to creating and growing internship programs, incorporating artificial intelligence, and providing value for interns. 

“Internships are important,” keynote speaker Carly Chase, an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School and a Vice President at U.S. News & World Report, told the record audience from Lehigh Valley employers and educational institutions. “We're still all responsible for helping young people, students, transition into the professional world.”

The summit was held at DeSales University and presented by Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) in partnership with the Lehigh Valley’s colleges and universities.

One of LVEDC’s top priorities is building partnerships to create strategies that develop talent for the region’s employers. That work includes connecting educators with employers to foster internships that hopefully transition to full-time employment, said Don Cunningham, President and CEO of LVEDC.

“As employers, you get the talent you need, and as a community, we continue to grow with young people,” Cunningham said.

Chase, whose work at U.S. News & World Report involves building out a new career business vertical to help consumers explore and make decisions about their careers, offered several takeaways for what interns are seeking.

They include:

• The possibility of an internship leading to full-time employment is a priority for an overwhelming majority of interns.
• Other leading priorities include professional development and networking opportunities, mentorship programs, and competitive pay.
• The most-desired professional development opportunities include skills-building, shadowing experienced professionals, career coaching/resume building, and presenting their work to leadership.
• About 85% of interns prefer seasonal work opportunities of about two months, with about 34% interested in longer-term opportunities of four months or more.
• A majority of interns want to work at a job site at least some of the time, with only about 15% preferring remote work exclusively. 

“They really do want to be there to learn how to be an employee, to learn how to be a professional, to start making the inroads in their careers that are going to be useful for them transitioning out of college and beyond,” Chase said.

“Ideally, in your internship programs, you're creating opportunities for those students to practice building relationships, whether it's internally or externally, teaching them how to build a nurture network,” she said. “Really, really vital skills for their future.”

U.S. News and World Report publishes a “Best Companies to Work For” list for internships.

The Internship Summit also included:

• A panel discussion highlighting the impacts of artificial intelligence, including how Lehigh Valley employers are leveraging the technology, and what AI skills employers are looking for interns to bring.
• A panel discussion about the day-to-day management of internships, including how to ensure a program helps interns to develop professionally and grow their skills.
• A presentation on how large businesses can grow internship programs, including how to describe the program to potential applicants; how to measure results; and how to achieve the goal of converting interns to employees.
• A presentation to help small businesses create and grow an internship program, including how an internship program can help build talent; how to get buy-in from employees and management; and how to start and then sustain a program.
• Roundtable discussions on a variety of key topics for successful internship programs.

More details about those sessions will be shared in future articles.

Crayola was Presenting Sponsor of the 7^th Annual Internship Summit. DeSales University was Host Sponsor. Moravian University was a Gold Sponsor. Silver Sponsors were Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Muhlenberg College; Northampton Community College; St. Luke's University Health Network; Univest Financial; and Victaulic.

LVEDC’s talent work is made possible by the generous support of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Summit participants received the latest edition of the Internship Resource Guide, published annually by LVEDC to share information about internship programs, how to create and evaluate a program, and current trends in programs. It includes a directory of the region’s colleges, universities, and career and technical schools.

(Photos by Marco Calderon Photography)