Thank you for your interest in hosting a Summer Intern from Roots of Kaua`i!
If we have not answered your question here, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
Q: What are the backgrounds of your students?
A: We’re currently recruiting students now, so the actual makeup of our student body is still unknown at this time. However, all students will be 18 to 30 years old, and our application and acceptance process is built to recruit a diverse body of students who display financial need, a great attitude, and a strong passion for entering the green industries. This is an entry-level, exploratory-focused program, so students may likely not have prior formal education specific in your field; they will be benefiting from the internship by exposure to your industry to see if it is something they are interested in building a career around. Students will have varying backgrounds and interests, from hands-on field work to administrative and marketing.
Q: When is this program and what do they learn in your program?
A: Our first pilot session of our 10-week Green Careers Certificate is late May 2014 to early August 2014. Students will be learning during evening classes at the same time they will be interning, so your intern’s knowledge will be growing alongside their experience. Student internships require 100 hours, although you may decide it’s mutually beneficial if you extend the internship. Internships will begin early June and run through early August, depending on the schedule of the individual internship. Our coursework includes a environmental literacy focus as well as a career development focus. The modules included in each are:
Environmental – Fundamentals of Environmental Literacy, Water, Waste, Transportation, Energy, Building, Health, Food & Agriculture, Community Organizing & Leadership, Application & Practice, Financial Literacy & Social Entrepreneurship
Career – Self-Assessment & Career Planning 101, Resume Writing, Interview Preparation, Networking & Informational Interviews, Succeeding on the Job, Promoting Yourself Online, Portfolio Development, Salary Negotiation, Career Planning for the Future
Q: Do we need to pay interns?
A: Students are not required to be paid by the internship site as the internship is a required part of our coursework. However, internship sites that offer a small hourly wage or a stipend upon internship completion will likely have much greater interest than those that don’t. Essentially, our students are ‘paying for’ their education by providing a mutually beneficial service to the community and green economy, as this program is provided to them at no cost. You will want to consider discussing any necessary waivers or insurance coverage needed with your legal counsel (although most businesses already have this in place for volunteers and employees). Become familiar with Federal internship regulations with this U.S. Dept. of Labor Fact Sheet if you plan to host unpaid interns: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm
Q: Do we get to pick our own student(s)?
A: Absolutely. No one knows who is a fit for you, more than you! Once our students’ resumes have been prepared and interests are defined, we will send you a list of our available students (in early June). We will also send students a list of internship sites so that they may approach you directly if they are interested. There will be approximately one week to interview and choose to make an offer to the student(s) of your choice and for them to accept. If you don’t choose to take on a student, that is fine as well. Students will greatly benefit from the interview experience alone. Interview scheduling, any possible stipend/payment, and internship schedule are the responsibility of the site and the student to determine – just like “the real world”.
Q: We’ve never done an internship before – how should we approach this?
A: The best internships are often customized to meet the unique needs and interests of the individual students and the site. We have over a decade of experience building internship programs and are happy to meet with you to help you build an internship program that is mutually beneficial and rewarding for both parties. The more we learn about you, the better we will know which students might fit your site’s needs. We reached out to you because we believe that your organization is critical to building a sustainable economy and a green Kaua`i and we’ll be here to support you throughout the process – your success is our success!
Q: We can’t host an intern, but this sounds great. Is there anything else we can do?
A: Absolutely. The more organizations and sectors we can expose our students to, the better prepared they will be to make informed career decisions and improve their networking skills. Other options you may want to consider include:
- Providing informational interviews for students
- Allowing students to ‘job shadow’ you for a day
- Delivering an in-class presentation to students on your career or industry
- Sponsoring our program by making a tax-deductible DONATION
- Hiring program graduates
Q: We’d love to participate. What do we do next?
A: Great! Please contact us to discuss your needs and interests at [email protected] or (808) 828-0685 x12.