Internships can help employers address short-term staffing needs, and be a powerful recruiting tool – while also helping our industry to attract qualified new talent. Are you looking to develop or enhance your company’s internship program? Center for Growing Talent’s (CGT) has launched a new internship toolkit, now available free to all fresh produce and floral industry members.
According to the organization, internships are a win-win for the intern and employer alike, and CGT said the new toolkit makes the process of setting up and administering an internship program easy. The aim is that interns will gain valuable, real-world experience and make business connections that can lead to satisfying careers in the industry. Meanwhile, employers can meet short-term staffing needs, while getting the chance to evaluate interns as potential hires.
“Internships are a critical part of our commitment to having a pipeline of qualified individuals for future talent needs,” said Robert Gordon, president and CEO of FreshPoint. Gordon also is a CGT board director and has mentored several university students. “We believe that the fresh produce industry provides exceptional career possibilities for the next generation of the workforce. Now, more than ever, is an excellent time to engage with students, who are increasingly more food- and health-conscious and can connect with our industry because of natural, fresh and sustainable products and practices.”
Center for Growing Talent developed the online Internship toolkit as part of its mission to provide the fresh produce and floral industry with solutions to attract, develop and retain talent. CGT said the toolkit comes with guidance to help deliver a high-performance internship program that meets your company’s specific needs, as well as execution tools such as customizable recruiting message templates.
The toolkit materials are industry-specific and peer-reviewed. Designed by expert industry leaders, the toolkit includes:
- Template internship postings for job function areas common to our industry, such as sales, marketing, operations and finance, with suggested descriptions including duties, responsibilities, qualifications and how to apply.
- Checklists to prepare for an intern’s arrival, as well as a first-week orientation plan and checklist.
- A sample project plan to ensure your intern can execute a plan that will meet your company’s needs, including prioritized tasks, suggested completion dates and departments the intern should interact with to successfully execute their assigned project.
- An end-of-internship evaluation form to rate the intern in the areas of productivity, work quality, job knowledge, problem solving and more.
“Even for those who have never offered an internship program, this turnkey toolkit is valuable as both a temporary talent solution and as a recruiting tool,” Gordon said.
For more information:
Cassidy Taylor
Produce Marketing Association
Tel: +1 (302) 781-5852
ctaylor@pma.com
www.pma.com