While the idea of having an extra pair of hands around the office is often attractive, conscientious business owners sometimes hesitate to engage interns in areas they are not experts in personally. One option to bridge this gap is to bring in an “expert intern” – someone with great expertise in a particular area, often looking for an opportunity to shift into a new industry.

Michigan has a ground-breaking program that matches these expert interns with local employers, called Shifting Gears. The program aims to create a true win-win for each intern and host company in a number of ways, one of which is providing a detailed 24 page guidebook to employers called the Employer Internship Toolkit. This information-packed internship guide contains a wealth of information that would otherwise be time-consuming for entrepreneurs to gather, including:

• 5 Steps to Creating a Successful Internship
• Legal background information on rates of pay
• Legal guidance on student visas
• Form letters for different stages in the application process
• Sample feedback surveys to use at the end of the internship

Interns will spend 80 hours with their host company, giving both parties ample opportunity to make a significant impact.

For more information contact:

• Curriculum developer and facilitator, John Newman ([email protected]) of Sensei Change Associates, 734-372-4054.
• Amy Cell ([email protected]) of the MEDC which manages all other aspects of the program, including internships, mentoring, applications, etc.

Good luck with your intern program!