“It's an internship-to-job opportunity. We're hoping to keep them [interns] and build a talent pipeline at the same time. So, as we're bringing them in, we're interviewing them as if they're going to work for us.”
That’s how PPL Corporation approaches internships, according to insights shared by Sharon Castano, Senior Recruiting Specialist, University Relations, during a panel discussion at the 7th Annual Lehigh Valley Internship Summit on July 23. 
Held at DeSales University, the summit was 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.
The Internship Summit included a series of panel discussions and speakers who offered advice and shared first-hand experiences for the about 150 people who attended, a record audience for the event.
Castano was one of four participants in a panel discussion, “Shaping Professional Interns: A Manager’s Role.”
Other panelists were, from J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., Sean Sutherland, Senior Operations and Risk Manager for the Lehigh Valley area, and Bryahna Stanat, Operations Intern; and from PPL Corporation, Jake Christman, Interconnections Engineer I and a former intern.
The discussion was moderated by Dominic Baio, a student at Penn State Lehigh Valley who is pursuing a dual major in Business Management & Marketing and Project Supply Chain Management.
Interns work on a range of projects at J.B. Hunt, from looking at how to improve a client’s account to more detailed tasks such as increasing customer relations, efficiency, and safety.
“And what's really cool is, at the end of the summer, all these interns get to come back and present on their account, the impacts they've made. A summer or two ago, we had an intern who optimized routing where he saved the customer about $900,000 in a year,” Sutherland said.
Structure is key to successful internships, he and Castano stressed. That starts with an orientation or onboarding, and continues with regular check-ins. Employers must have a company-wide plan to maximize the opportunity for interns, to make sure they are both learning and providing value.
Stanat, who is studying finance and project supply chain at Penn State Lehigh Valley, said regular meetings with her mentor provided guidance and gave her confidence. She said learning how to manage her time on the job was a valuable takeaway.
“We have a lot of interns that transitioned into full-time roles, and they stick around to help the upcoming interns. So, having those as mentors, seeing they understand what I was going through, that transition into your first real job, that has been so beneficial to have that mentor to lean on,” she said.
Christman said an impactful part of his internship at PPL Corporation was the opportunity to meet with various professionals: “We got to interview our VPs and directors and get all their experience and their advice, for how to be professional and how to handle tough situations.”
The Internship Summit also included:
- A keynote address by Carly Chase, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School and a Vice President at U.S. News & World Report, who shared information about what interns are seeking from their internship experience.
- A panel discussion highlighting the impacts of artificial intelligence.
- A presentation on how large businesses can grow internship programs.
- A presentation to help small businesses create and grow an internship program.
- Roundtable discussions on key topics for successful internship programs.
More details about those sessions will be shared in future articles.
Crayola was Presenting Sponsor of the 7th 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)