Internships: Have grown up!
Something we’ve noticed over Talent Solutions’ 10 years in business is how internships have evolved.
What was once seen as a low-risk, low-priority summer holiday job has now become the strategic engine room of graduate hiring. The word internship has, quite literally, put on a suit and stepped into a central role in early talent pipelines.
In the age of AI, the most in-demand graduate attributes include resilience, critical thinking, initiative and collaboration. These are best observed and evaluated in the real-world context of a 12-week internship.
Internships offer a lower-cost, lower-risk way for employers to evaluate potential hires in action, while giving students a realistic preview of the organisation, its people and its purpose. When structured well, internships lift graduate offer acceptance, reduce early attrition and increase retention of high-performing hires.
While students have always craved real-world experience to apply their learning, the number of internship opportunities available have trailed far behind demand. But employers will soon have more students and tertiary institutions knocking on their doors. With universities across New Zealand expanding their work-integrated learning (WIL) programmes and aligning internships with academic credit, demand for internship opportunities will only increase.
And internship programmes don't have to be developed by individual employers. A great example of an industry-wide approach to developing internship pathways is in the FMCG Sector with the FMCG Futures Summer Internship Programme which was launched to build a sector-wide talent pipeline, educate students on career opportunities and connect employers with high-calibre candidates. The programme, which won best Innovation in the Graduate Market at the NZAGE Awards last year, has achieved outstanding results and as one participating employer commented, “All of the interns we have been connected with have such great drive and awesome attitudes - they are amazing.”
Internships now come in many forms. From "Winternships" (offered in July) through to "Virtual Internships", non-rotational and rotational summer internships. Whichever model you pursue, with two thirds of the current student population undertaking or intending to undertake an internship experience, the bottom line for employers is this: If you are not investing in internships - you're leaving talent on the table.
What other trends have occurred over the past decade? Join us at the upcoming Talent Solutions Student Pulse 10 Year Insights event to find out, as we share the latest internship uptake data and other key trends shaping the future of early talent in New Zealand.
