Game Plan for Establishing an Externship Program

Presenters: Ashley McArdle, IPFW and Angela Carlen IUPUI
Track: Bridges from Campus to Career

Description: Get best practices and essential resources for developing and establishing experiential learning opportunities for first and second year students through an externship program. Learn the pros and cons of two very different programs: one student driven and the other run by employer availability. We’ll share strategies, discuss results, and how the programs have grown.

Last week I spoke with my IUPUI colleague, Angie Carlen, about her upcoming presentation at the CDPI Spring Conference. Having worked and collaborated with Angie in the past I had seen and heard about the success of her Externship Program so was excited to hear that she would be sharing information about her program with a larger audience.

Although I have worked in career services in one role or another since 2001, I have to admit, when I first heard that she was coordinating an “Externship” Program, I had to google “extern” just to make sure I was on the same page. After I refreshed my understanding of externships and their utility, it is clear that they can play an important, and even critical, role for exploratory students. What’s especially interesting about her upcoming workshop is that she is co-presenting with Ashley McArdle from IPFW. IUPUI uses a student-driven model while IPFW uses an available employer-driven model. This workshop will allow career professionals to see how each type of program can help meet their students’ needs.

Both programs focus on 1st and 2nd year students that are seeking information about possible career paths whom are also interested in building professional networks. Both programs utilize university academic breaks, (i.e. spring break), to implement their programs. The IUPUI program calls for students to meet with a counselor to discuss their career aspirations before they are considered for a sponsored externship. The staff member, (Angie), then uses IUPUI’s alumni network and other resources to connect the exploratory student with a relevant employer. The IPFW program develops relationships with employers that are open to hosting externs and then encourages students to apply for the externship opportunity. Both programs have formal application procedures for employers and students to ensure that both parties are committed to the externship.

By attending this workshop you will be able to learn from both externship programs coordinators, regarding: tips on how you can develop a new program at your campus; successes/challenges they have encountered; examples of promotional materials, applications; reporting templates for assessment/evaluation.

If you are curious to learn more about externships in general or how IUPUI’s and IPFW’s different approaches have both helped exploratory students, then attending this workshop is a must.

Resources:
IUPUI: Angie’s previous year’s website can be found HERE, but please note that it is in the process of being transferred to http://uc.iupui.edu/students/career/externships.asp.
IPFW: Ashley’s site: http://www.ipfw.edu/career/students/job/Externships2010.shtml