Wednesday September 5, 2001

Cost to keep students on as interns less expensive than actual employment

A growing number of college students want career related experience, said Marie Rozenblit, UA director of career services. But interns also serve a purpose for their companies, by providing them with inexpensive workers because they don't have to hire permanent employees to cover typical intern duties.

"The interns are in fact cheap labor," said Cherie McCollum, program coordinator for the Arizona Legislative and Governmental Internship Program. "For instance, the Legislature only meets in the spring, and they can't hire permanent people for the amount they can pay students."

Legislative interns, who earn $4,200 for five months of work in Phoenix, work just as hard as regular employees would.

"But it is really worth it," said former legislative intern Candice Means, a business finance senior. "Any internship is worth it because we as students want a professional experience, and the companies want workers. They need us as much as we want them to need us."

Rozenbilt, who used to work as an internship and cooperative coordinator for Burroughs - now Unisys, an e-business company - said even though interns do cost less than permanent workers and don't receive benefits, they are often the future of the company.

"The interns and the co-op students are valuable because they're experienced," Rozenblit said. "They represent the future growth of the company. A lot of the workers are going to retire, and if those students are there, already educated and ready to work, then the company doesn't have to worry about hiring new people."

A recent USA Today article stated that a study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers discovered 60 percent of companies plan to continue or expand their internship programs, despite the slowing labor market.

"It's a great investment," said Rozenblit. "It may seem like too much of an investment of time, but it is a valuable investment in the long run."

But the internship's worth depends on the student's aggressiveness and how much they want to learn.

"(Internships) are what you make of them," Rozenblit said. "It's a time to learn and increase responsibility, not generally to make money. Most internships aren't paid at all anyway, but you get credit (toward a degree) and you get the experience itself. We've not had any complaints about internships from the students."