Internship Guide
Internship Guide
- Internships
- For Employers
- For Students/Faculty
- Internernship Opportunities
- Career Services
- Hours
- Monday - Friday
7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. - Lowell Campus (By appointment)
Cowan Center, Room 305A - Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. - Bedford Campus (By appointment)
Enrollment Center, Building 9, Second Floor
INTERNSHIP GUIDE
August 2020
Submitted by:
Catherine Cosgrove-Coordinator of Employer Engagement & Internships
With assistance from Career Development Team:
Karen James-Assistant Direct Career Planning
Genevieve Morse-Career Placement Coordinator
Introduction
Internships are widely recognized, best practices that support student engagement, persistence, and personal and professional development. The hope with building a strong internship program at MCC is to have an impact on closing the achievement gap as well. MCC desires is to expand this opportunity beyond the traditional career-oriented programs so that Liberal Arts and Sciences students can also benefit from this best practice. This guide of policies and procedures can be applied overall while still maintaining flexibility to meet the requirements of individual programs.
By providing a platform for expanded opportunities and ease of navigating for internships, more students will be able to gain the many benefits of having an experience working in a professional setting, gaining workplace skills, networking with potential employers, applying knowledge gained for their coursework and exploring career pathways.
This guide will:
- Outline policies and practices for students to follow to acquire internship opportunities
- Outline policies and practices for employers to follow to acquire and monitor interns
- Outline policies and practices for faculty to follow who may sponsor interns
Ultimately, this will lead to a more consistent and beneficial experience for students, faculty and employers, and will create a foundation upon which the college can expand these opportunities to students majoring in a variety of programs across the college.
Much of the content of this guide is based on the work presented in: Massachusetts Community Colleges Experiential Education: Internships and Cooperative Education; A Handbook for Practitioners and Administrators; published 2011. Throughout this guide, this publication will be referred to as the Handbook. Much information in this guide is adopted from the Career and Internship Workgroup Proposal presented by a 2014 MCC Career and Internship Workgroup of faculty and staff. Throughout this guide, this publication will be referred to as the Proposal.
Part I. Definition (Handbook pg. 9)
- Internships:
An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.
Types of Internships at MCC
- Academic Credit Internships
- The institution shall ensure that credit is granted to students who have achieved the learning outcomes of assigned learning activities in addition to completing the required number of hours at the internship site. Activity design should match the institutional, program and course outcomes set forth in the academic catalog, departmental assessments, program review, or related institutional materials. Eligibility, credit hours, and approval of internship site will be determined by academic department. Employers can post these opportunities on Career Development online recruiting platform, Handshake
- Non-credit Internships
- These experiential learning opportunities usually occur during the summer months lasting between 8-10 weeks. While some internships may continue part-time during the academic year or convert to full-time jobs, there is no requirement or guarantee by the employer for the internship to last longer than originally set forth during the posting process. Employers can post these opportunities on Career Development’s online recruiting platform, Handshake.
- Micro-Internships
- Micro-internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. They are highly-specific, project-based positions that typically consist of 20 to 40 hours of work and can occur year-round. Students that participate in micro-internships are paid a fixed rate (at least $12/hour), can complete work remotely and are given a timeline to complete their projects; typically over a two to four week time period. MCC Career Development has partnered with Parker Dewey to promote these types of internships. Employer can post micro-internships on MCC’s Parker Dewey webpage.
- Internships combined with financial scholarship
- This is a unique opportunity for employers to provide financial assistance to student while offering them the opportunity to learn skills in a professional setting. Employer seeking to combine a scholarship with an internship opportunity should contact Middlesex Community College’s Foundation.
Part II. Learning Outcomes and Objectives
The institution shall ensure that credit is granted to students who have achieved the learning outcomes of assigned learning activities in addition to completing the required number of hours at the internship site. Activity design should match the institutional, program and course outcomes set forth in the academic catalog, departmental assessments, program review, or related institutional materials. The course syllabus must include learning outcomes, activities and an evaluation method to assess the quality and quantity of the learning achieved. Evaluative criteria should be held to the same academic rigor as courses in the traditional classroom setting. The importance of learning outcomes and assessment are pedagogical to the intrinsic “real learning” value of the student’s experiential education experience. (adapted from Handbook, pg. 24)
For-credit internships at MCC:
Associate Degree |
Internship Required? | Course | Faculty Contact |
---|---|---|---|
Accounting | Yes | BUS 214 Business Internship | Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu |
Biotechnology Technician | Yes | BIT 200 Biotechnology Internship | Mariluci Bladon 978-656-3092 BladonM@middlesex.mass.edu |
Culinary Arts-Business Administration | Yes | BUS 214 Business Internship | Ashli Ree Reea@middlesex.mass.edu |
Communication Career | No | COM 223-Communication Internship | Jennifer Bauer 781-280-3910 Bauerj@middlesex.mass.edu |
Communication Transfer | No | COM 221/COM 222/ COM 223 | Jennifer Bauer 781-280-3910 Bauerj@middlesex.mass.edu |
Dental Assisting | Yes | DAS 150 Clinical Practicum | Mary Jenny 978-656-3060 jennyt@middlesex.mass.edu |
Dental Hygiene | Yes | DHY 101, DHY 151, DHY 201, DHY 251* | Karen Townsend 978-656-3045 townsendk@middlesex.mass.edu |
Dental Laboratory Technology | Yes | DLT 240 | Apollon Bouzerdan 978-656-3056 bouzerdana@middlesex.mass.edu |
Diagnostic Medical Sonography | Yes | SON 121/SON 122/ SON 221/ SON 222/SON 228 | Jane Morrison 781-280-3985 morrisonj@middlesex.mass.edu |
Early Childhood Education | Yes | EDU 251-Supervised Field Placement and Seminar | Michelle Dobrin 781-280-3901 DOBRINM@middlesex.mass.edu |
Early Childhood Education Transfer | Yes | EDU 251-Supervised Field Placement and Seminar | Michelle Dobrin 781-280-3901 DOBRINM@middlesex.mass.edu |
Fashion Merchandising | Yes | BUS 214 Business Internship | Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu |
Graphic Design | Yes | ART 185 Graphic Design Internship | Joe Eiler 781-280-3744 Eilerj@middlesex.mass.edu |
Health Care Administration | Yes | AHP 225 Health Care Administration Internship | Angel Pepin 978-656-3040 pepina@middlesex.mass.edu |
Hospitality Management | Yes | BUS 214 Business Internship | Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu |
Human Services | Yes | HUS 153 Supervised Field Placement and Seminar | Paulo Barrio 781-280-3613 BARRIOP@middlesex.mass.edu |
Human Services Transfer | Yes | HUS 153 Supervised Field Placement and Seminar | Paulo Barrio 781-280-3613 BARRIOP@middlesex.mass.edu |
Medical Assisting | Yes | MAS 201 Medical Assisting Externship | Claudia Guillen 978-656-3024 guillenc@middlesex.mass.edu |
Nursing (Day) | Yes | NUR 102/NUR 156/ NUR 206/ NUR 256 | Carolyn Walsh 978-656-3037 walshc@middlesex.mass.edu |
Nursing (Evening and Weekend) | Yes | NUR 102/NUR 156/ NUR 206/ NUR 256 | (Veronica) Ann McDonough 978-656-3015 mcdonoughv@middlesex.mass.edu |
Office Systems & Administration | Yes | BUS 214 Business Internship | Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu |
Paralegal Studies Career | Yes | PAR 199 Paralegal Internship | Patricia Lemire lemirepa@middlesex.mass.edu Halye Sugarman sugarmanh@middlesex.mass.edu |
Paralegal Studies Transfer | Yes | PAR 199 Paralegal Internship | Patricia Lemire lemirepa@middlesex.mass.edu Halye Sugarman sugarmanh@middlesex.mass.edu |
Radiologic Technology | Yes | RAD 103/ RAD 107/ RAD 108/ RAD 203/RAD 206 | Bill Darmody 781-280-3942 darmodyw@middlesex.mass.edu |
Certificate Program |
Internship Required? | Course | Faculty Contact |
---|---|---|---|
Addictions Counselor Program (ACP) Certificate | Yes | HUS 153/HUS 154 Supervised Field Placement | Joseph Gardner 781-280-3613 gardnerj@middlesex.mass.edu |
Culinary Arts Certificate | Yes | BUS 214 Business Internship | Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu |
Direct Support in Human Services | Yes | HUS 153 Supervised Field Placement | Julie Mirras 781-280-3613 mirrasj@middlesex.mass.edu |
Early Childhood Education Certificate | Yes | EDU 251 Supervised Field Placement | Michelle Dobrin 781-280-3901 DOBRINM@middlesex.mass.edu |
Hospitality Management Certificate | Yes | BUS 214 Business Internship | Ashli Ree REEA@middlesex.mass.edu |
Medical Assisting Certificate | Yes | MAS 201 | Claudia Guillen 978-656-3024 guillenc@middlesex.mass.edu |
Paralegal Studies Certificate | Yes | PAR 199 Paralegal Internship | Patricia Lemire lemirepa@middlesex.mass.edu Halye Sugarman sugarmanh@middlesex.mass.edu |
Phlebotomy Certificate | Yes | AHP Phlebotomy Externship | Angel Pepin 978-656-3040 pepina@middlesex.mass.edu |
Pharmacy Technician | Caitlin Campopiano campopianoc@middlesex.mass.edu |
Part III. Legal Issues Regarding Internships
The information in this section was gathered in large part through consultation with MCC’s legal counsel and review of the Experiential Learning and Cooperation Education Handbook.
Liability Issues
The college may not sign off on any liability documents, but employers can draft their own waivers for students to sign.
Paid versus Unpaid Internships (from DOL Fact Sheet #71, http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm )
The Fair Labor Standards Act includes criteria for distinguishing between internships
and employment. These criteria apply to for-profit employers. An internship should:
- Be educational
- Have duties that reinforce the educational nature of the internship
- Have a strong educational component to negate an employment relationship
- Be structured like an academic course
- Have a schedule that correlates with the school’s academic calendar, and have a fixed duration
- Offer course credit
- Teach general skills rather than skills particular to the one specific employer
Additionally, internships should:
- Be for the benefit of the intern – interns should have duties that show they are teaching the intern, not just benefiting the employer
- Be clearly defined in writing and in practice
Employers must not use interns to replace employees. Instead, interns should job-shadow and be closely supervised by employees. The level of supervision should exceed that given to an employee. Interns should not be supervised by other interns.
Employers should refrain from using any language that sounds like “employment” language. They should not “hire” interns; nor give them the impression that there will be a job for them at the end of the internship. The DOL views the hiring of interns as evidence that an employment relationship existed during the internship.
Payments (if any) should be distinguished from wages; and stipends or per diem reimbursements should be documented as such.
International and Undocumented Students (Handbook pg.22)
Generally international students cannot be approved for internship work authorization approval during their academic year unless it is tied to a course elective in their major of study.
For more information about authorization for international students’ participation in internships, please contact MCC’s International Student Office.
Part IV. Training and Preparation
To Support Students:
- Prior to registering for an internship class associated with an internship course, students are required to complete and pass a one credit internship class (IDS TBD)
Learning strands to include in recommended MCC student internship orientation:
- Review eligibility requirements. Complete all paperwork required for participation.
- Professionalism: prepare to follow Massachusetts Community College Student Code of Conduct as published in MCC Student Handbook.
- Learn to use faculty as a resource.
- Learn to use employer supervisor as a resource.
- Learn how to conduct internship search. Learn to use more than one avenue to search for a position.
- Develop and write a resume and a cover letter. Obtain references.
- Prepare for interviews
- Become familiar with internship program tasks.
- Explore work interests, personality skills, values, and life goals to find purpose in academic curriculum.
- Identify career paths resulting from major or program of study.
- Identify career interests and internships of interest.
- Learn how to prepare documents such as: portfolio, reports, journals, etc. to demonstrate learning in the internship and that can be used in grading.
- Become aware of crisis intervention. Learn how to become a self-advocate, how to approach difficult topics professionally, how to access assistance from faculty and employer supervisor when necessary, how to speak up when given menial tasks to perform and how to request clear direction regarding what is expected and how to listen to frequent feedback.
Internship Search
- Handshake - MCC’s recruiting platform.
- Employer’s post opportunities using this site
- Free to MCC students and alumni when using MCC student email
- Career Shift
- A comprehensive platform for opportunities sourcing from multiple online resources
- Free to MCC students and alumni when using MCC student email
- Additional Internship sites
- MCC Career Services Internship webpage for additional internship opportunities and websites.
To Support Employers/Site Supervisors:
- Handshake - MCC’s recruiting platform.
- Employer’s looking to recruit internship (paid or unpaid) at MCC can post their opportunities on this site.
- Handshake User Guide
- Department of Labor (DOL)
- An overview of regulations for employers that impact paid vs. unpaid internships
- Starting and Maintaining A Quality Internship Program by Michael True
- A resource for employers creating an internship program
https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/careerservices/downloads/guide2020.pdf- downloadable version of the above guide.