Corporate internships fill specialty pipeline 

Internship programs play an increasingly important role in corporate efforts to fill unusual or otherwise specialized jobs.

Potlatch Corp. employs a geographic information systems intern who helps  map the company’s forest lands. Albertsons’ store-level internship program runs the intern through every department of a grocery store. Idaho Power Co. this year expanded its internship program into power supply and plant operations.
Jake Stafford, who will be a senior in mechanical engineering at Gonzaga University in Spokane this fall, started as a project-management intern at Idaho Power in Boise in May.
“I want to learn about project management, how a company is run in the sense of hierarchy, as well as how things go from an idea to being implemented in the field,” said the 21-year-old Stafford, who grew up in Boise.  “I want to learn how a utility works with transmission lines, substations, and how power goes from being generated to the household.”
Many workers at the company’s power plants are expected to retire fairly soon, which is why Idaho Power added internships on the power side, Human Resources Leader Angelique Keavney said. The company also has partnered with the new energy technology program at Idaho State University.
“We’re trying to increase the interest in power supply jobs,” she said. “We see energy careers as an excellent opportunity for students both with and without college degrees.”
These interns work in the specialized energy field and also help Idaho Power full-time employees with projects that they may otherwise not have time to complete, Keavney said. For example, an intern can take on reporting tasks in certain complex projects.
“We have a lot of jobs that offer $60,000 to $100,000 with an A.A. degree and four-year apprenticeship,” the Idaho Power H.R. leader said. “It’s important to reach students while they are young.”
Company officials often speak to students in public schools, even junior high schools.

Micron Technology’s high school internship program cooperates with a number of schools in the Treasure Valley, corporate spokeswoman Jill Thompson said. The students work in manufacturing as well as in research and development.

Potlatch, which fields major manufacturing operations in Lewiston, offers traditional internships in fields such as engineering, information systems and corporate functions. The geographic information systems internship “is not a regular thing, but it illustrates how we actively employ interns where they can make a difference and also learn a lot,” spokesman Matt Van Vleet said.

Potlatch officials are considering spinning off their pulp-based businesses, which offer many of the internships. Van Vleet said the forest-management side would continue to employ interns as needed and would continue working with forestry schools.

Timber companies have a long history of employing people who are pursuing advanced degrees in forestry and natural resources disciplines, and of working with these students on research projects, he said.

“As we grow our land ownership, we continue to reach out to universities in areas where we have land, to strengthen relationships for doing research and joint projects together,” Van Vleet said.

Albertsons Intermountain West Division spokesperson Donna Eggers said the company this year had a number of applicants for store-level internships throughout its division that includes Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. One candidate was accepted in Idaho – the only applicant who expressed an interest in a long-term career in the retail grocery industry, she said. Albertsons last year also had one store-level intern in Idaho.

Albertsons and its parent, Supervalu, also offer internships in corporate departments. Participants in the 10-week, store-level summer internship program rotate through each major department in a store.

“Our store-level internships are paid internships and are an excellent training opportunity for students, but we need those students to have a sincere interest in our business to make the program worthwhile for both our company and the students,” Eggers said. “The Albertsons store-level internship program is an excellent way for us to develop individuals who demonstrate the interest and ability to become effective leaders in the retail grocery industry.”

Micron Technology offers a college internship program for students ranging from sophomores to doctoral candidates.

The company, which employs about 9,000 in Boise, also partners with pre-engineering and technical programs at various high schools in the Treasure Valley. Students in these classes visit the Micron campus periodically from the ninth grade onward, Micron K-12 Program Coordinator Maria Kilgo said.

“Over the years, the nation has identified a gap between the need for these workers and the number of students entering college and pursuing degrees in those fields,” she said. Demand for workers outstrips enrollment in these programs.

Many students aren’t aware of certain jobs or career fields, Kilgo said. “There are no television shows or movies about semiconductor engineers.”

Students can compete for high school internships that involve the technical side of manufacturing, or research and development. Including the five on board this summer, Micron will have provided semester-long experiences to 95 high school students since launching the program in 1999.

“The internship is the capstone experience for students, which provides opportunity to apply knowledge, skills and abilities learned in school to real engineering problems in the workplace,” Kilgo said.

More than 75 percent of students who secure high school internships subsequently pursue college degrees directly related to high-tech industry, she said.  Many come back to Micron as college interns. Some go on to work for Micron or other technology companies.

“Our ultimate goal is to increase the number of qualified candidates in the high-tech pipeline,” Kilgo said.
***To contact the author, send e-mail to brad.carlson@idahobusiness.net.

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