Internship Expectations

Students and contractors don’t always approach internships with matching expectations. While the intern looks for education, the contractor might seek an extra body to fill a gap on a mowing crew.

“What we were hearing was that companies had one picture in their minds when offering internships, and students had something different in mind when they said they wanted an internship,” said Marcia Higgins, professional standards manager, Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA), Herndon, Va. “The students are expecting to have a learning experience where they will be exposed to lots of areas of the company, and we were finding that some companies were thinking, ‘Oh, good – cheap labor.’”

ALCA’s Student Internships for the Green Industry, released during the association’s Student Career Days in March, sets a benchmark for internships, offering a standard, focused curriculum model for students, Higgins said. Developed by the accreditation committee as a how-to guide, the goal is to meet expectations of both students and contractors. The handbook is available online at www.alca.org.

Training modules outline programs for contractors, who might not have a set internship program in their companies. They can use this manual to construct an appropriate learning experience for their interns, Higgins noted. “We want the contractors to understand that they need to have a plan,” she stressed. “An internship is a different animal than a summer employee. In most cases, the students are getting college credit, so it needs to be a structured program.”

College professors can have peace of mind knowing their students are entering programs that will supplement their education, rather than give them a poor taste of the industry. “We can send our students to any company that offers an internship built on the principles of this guide with confidence because it is an indicator of the company’s attitude and professionalism,” said Frank Millsap, coordinator emeritus of the horticulture program at Richland College, Dallas, Texas.

And, ultimately, contractors gain from offering organized internships, Higgins added. When students have positive experiences, they return to the companies after graduating. “We want happy interns and companies that are happy with the students that participated,” Higgins explained. “We want them to come out of that experience excited about the green industry and looking forward to getting out there when they graduate.”
 
The author is Managing Editor – Special Projects for Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at khampshire@lawnandlandscape.com.