Non-traditional students are students who are working professionals and attending school to get advancement. They also include students who are previous professionals seeking a second career and older students who have come back to finish school.

In some situations your current employment can be used for internship credit as approved. Internships are not required for the emergency services programs. With that said you cannot test out of the internship credit or get credit for previous internship hours worked.

For further questions contact Jim McCoy, the internship coordinator at [email protected].

An internship is a temporary work experience that allows the individual to get some hands-on, real world, entry-level experience under their belt with the supervision and training of an experienced professional. Some internships are paid while others are unpaid, but the focus of an internship is on experience rather than money. An internship should include learning goals that connect the intern’s education to real world scenarios in an effort to gain practical experience and get them one step closer to achieving their career goals.

Internships are extremely important because they offer a number of benefits to help you jump-start your career. Here are a few ways that internships are beneficial.

Is this what I really want to do? 

Devoting years of your life and education to a career is a big commitment. How can you be sure that it’s something that you want to do for the rest of your life if you’ve never done it before? An internship can help answer this question by letting you sample the industry without a long-term commitment. 

Make connections with professionals in the field

A little bit of networking can go a long way, especially in competitive fields, and an internship is an excellent way to build relationships and network with professionals in the industry.

An internship can also act as a 3-month-long job interview which is why some employers use internships as a recruitment tool. Do a great job, build relationships, contribute to the company, and when the internship is finished they may not want to let you go. At the very least, they can connect you to others in the field and provide a positive referral which can be extremely valuable. This also gives you an opportunity to get the inside scoop on the industry from people that have years of real world experience and their advice is invaluable when considering your future career plans.

Experience

Experience is golden, and the more experience you have the more valuable you are. Employers are always looking for candidates with experience. More experience means more skill, and more skill means you have more to offer a future employer. But how do you get experience if no one will hire you because you have no experience?

An internship is a good place to start. Employers don’t expect interns to have a lot of experience or even any experience. It’s a good place to get your foot in the door. Additionally, the focus of an internship is to get experience. Interns are expected to be responsible, reliable, and professional just like an employee, but the objective of an internship is to get some basic hands-on experience. Additionally, an internship lets you develop or learn some skills that may be much harder to develop in a classroom setting. Think of it this way… reading how to ride a bike and actually riding a bike are two different things. Sometimes the best way to learn how to do something is to jump in and try it out.

Enhance your resume

An internship on a resume shows a prospective employer that you have some familiarity with the industry including some real-world training. This is especially true if the skills that were developed during the internship are listed on the resume. It can also be an indicator of your committed to your career because it shows you’ve taken the initiative to get some hands-on experience. Additionally, a solid reference from an internship host shows that you’re trustworthy which is so important in today’s fleeting applicant pool. An internship with a respected employer could set you above the competition.

Potentially receive credit for your experience

So if you had to choose between getting credit for sitting in a traditional classroom setting or getting credit for being out in the field and getting the above benefits, which would you choose? Well, the good news is that you might be able to get credit for your internship. 75 internship hours a semester (roughly 5 hours a week) equals 1 credit of elective credit towards your major. Reach out to your internship coordinator to see if you're able to get credit for your internship. 

Benefits for employers

Employers also benefit from internships a number of ways:

• Increased productivity by having additional help
• Experienced staff can focus on more advanced tasks while interns handle entry-level work
• Interns bring fresh ideas, new perspectives, and an enthusiastic willingness to learn
• Temporary help with no long-term commitment
• If a business is looking to expand, internships can act as a longer and more in-depth interview process
• A way to give back to your community

There are lots of different ways to find an internship and lots of different resources. But they usually all involve one thing: networking. The right internship is out there somewhere and sometimes finding it is just a matter of asking around. Here are some different ways to find an internship:

• Reach out to your dream company: Think of a company you’d like to work for and reach out. Big businesses sometimes have a structured internship program already established and have a tendency to be more competitive for interns than smaller, local businesses. Research information on their website regarding internships or simply give them a call. Explain your career goals, your interest in their company, and inquire about internship opportunities. Be personable, polite, and professional. Be sure to get names and contact information to follow-up.
• Utilize UVU’s Internship Services:Talk to your internship coordinator, or browse internship postings on Careerlink.
• Ask faculty & advisors: These people more often than not have spent some time in the industry and may have some connections. It never hurts to ask, and if you get a good referral, that’s a huge bonus as well!
• Friends of friends: Do you have a friend of a friend with your dream job? An acquaintance of an acquaintance? Reach out to see if they could point you in the right direction for an internship, or if possible, would be interested in hosting an internship. People that have walked the path often have some of the best information you can get.

To receive credit for your internship you will need to take an online course in conjunction with your internship experience. Like any other course this includes coursework, due dates, and paying tuition. Be aware that 75 internship hours a semester (about 5 hours a week) equals 1 academic credit. This is important when determining how many credits you’ll be taking based on how many hours a week you can comfortably fit into your schedule and what your internship host is able to accommodate – something you should also establish with your internship host beforehand. This credit is placed as elective credit.

Below is the process for receiving credit for an internship. Please note that you can’t receive credit for past internships that you have already completed.

1. Meet with your internship coordinator

   Together the student and the internship coordinator will discuss the details of the internship for approval. This includes items such as work responsibilities during the internship, number of credits to be assigned, checking to see where or if the credit can be applied, compliance with UVU policy, and to answer any questions the student may have. You can reach James McCoy, the Internship Coordinator for the College of Health and Public Service, at [email protected].

2. Internship Application for credit

   Together with the internship host, the student will fill out the Internship Application for Credit, to verify the job duties, scheduling, pay (if any), etc. The student will then sign the form, then it will be signed by the site supervisor, the internship course teacher, then by the internship coordinator. The internship coordinator may contact the internship supervisor to verify the internship and answer any questions the supervisor may have

3. The Online Orientation Video & Quiz

   Complete the Internship Orientation Video and Quiz here http://www.uvu.edu/internships/student/index.html.

4. Register for the course

   Once the Application for Credit has been signed by all parties the coordinator will grant the student access in the system to register for the internship course and provide the Course Registration Number (CRN) & section to allow the student to register. Once the semester begins, the student will be able to go into the course via Canvas to access the course content.

5. Finish all assigned coursework by the deadlines

   The student will complete the amount of internship hours based on the number of credits taken (75 hours/semester = 1 credit), finish all course material (papers, evaluations, orientation, hours log, etc.) by the established deadlines with a satisfactory level of quality as deemed by the instructor to receive a grade.