Virtual Internships: Supporting businesses from home
Virtual internships support businesses from home.
Kam Manku, Work Experience & Internships Manager at Careers Network, talks about the benefits of taking on a virtual intern.
Kam Manku
Careers Network
“...we’ve supported local, national and international employers with a range of projects - large and small - that positively impacted on their business.”
Hi, I’m Kam Manku, Work Experience & Internships Manager at Careers Network. Over the last 3 years, we’ve been experimenting with engaging in employers for our Virtual Internship Programme. This gives our students the opportunity to work for a wider range of employers even if they are not able to travel, breaking down social mobility barriers and giving employers a wider pool of candidates to choose from.
Within this programme, we’ve supported local, national and international employers with a range of projects - large and small - that positively impacted on their business.
Little did we know at the time that this will be the way which most people will be working in 2020!
Through our experience and expertise in running virtual internships, we’ve been able to be flexible with our offering. We guide businesses in how they can successfully manage a virtual intern so both parties benefit; employers get a project completed and students gain valuable work experience. In fact, majority of our employers on bespoke internship schemes have converted their opportunities from office-based to virtual since lockdown.
Benefits of a virtual intern
Fewer resources
Working remotely means you don’t need to worry about preparing a workspace for your intern, allocating equipment, stationary and even an office mug for them. Most students will have access to laptops, internet, and appropriate workspaces for study purposes.
Access to more candidates
Often, highly qualified candidates will opt themselves out of a great opportunity because it’s in an unfamiliar location or they don’t think they can afford to live in a nearby area. With virtual working, this has broken down the barrier, making you more attractive to our students no matter where they are from and giving you access to more talent.
Keen individuals
It’s a known fact that universities give students a long summer break and our students are keen not to waste time. Many employers we work with fed back that our students are proactive and make a positive impact on to their business, working virtually means they make extra effort to ensure they understand project briefs and ask questions when they need to.
Interested in a virtual intern?
In these challenging times could you benefit from having a virtual intern, volunteering to help support you on a project? Or assistance to action a piece of work that desperately needs doing, but you’ve no resource to do it?
Maybe a new challenge has come up due to the current situation and an extra hand can help you revive your business.
Whether it is 4 weeks work or just a few days, a virtual intern’s support will help you progress.
To discuss virtual interns in more detail, contact Kam Manku k.s.manku@bham.ac.uk