Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is home to nearly 300,000 residents and a variety of companies. Thanks to a business-friendly environment, continuous positive economic growth, and a city that supports ongoing improvements in key infrastructure, our roster of fantastic companies calling the SCV home continues to grow.
However, finding well-trained and qualified talent can be difficult when the labor market is tight. That’s why SCVEDC’s Board of Directors has set a priority for supporting economic development programs that help employers grow their own talent. Having an internship program at your company is one way companies can do this.
Why hire interns? Here are a few benefits of a robust internship program:
Fresh perspective — it can be invigorating to a project or a team to get insight from someone who is outside your organization. Be sure to include your interns in brainstorming sessions.
Improve your social media presence — most young people are experts at social media: Why not leverage this experience to create an outward-facing presence for your company that will be appealing and relevant to the next generation?
Create mentorship opportunities in your company — placing current employees in leadership positions over interns is a great way to cultivate a strong morale and encourage accountability and motivation within your organization.
Entry-level hires – 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies retain their interns as entry-level hires. Your interns will already understand your company culture and values..
Now is the perfect time to start planning your internship program. SCVEDC has an internship job board that will match qualified students with local companies seeking to hire interns — either for the summer as students return home from school, or during the year for students attending local colleges and universities. SCVInternships.com provides resources for both students and businesses. If you are a student looking for a paid internship, or are an employer seeking an intern in the Santa Clarita Valley, this is your go-to website.
Workforce development is a high priority for the SCVEDC. Cultivating student internships in local businesses will both train up a new generation of employees and strengthen employer engagement to build upon great workforce training models already in place in the Santa Clarita Valley.
If you have questions about the SCV Economic Development Corp., contact the SCVEDC at (661) 288-4400 or [email protected].
