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Why Micro-Internships Will Be the Next Big Thing

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Mayor Jenny Durkan recently announced an expansion of her city’s Seattle Promise program, which awards two years of free college to selected public school students. Later this year, “Opportunity Promise” will begin arranging paid internships between select Seattle Promise scholars and tech companies like Amazon and Expedia.

“We all benefit when Seattle kids get the opportunity to be world class workers,” Durkan said. “It’s critical that we not only provide access to free college, but we also build a pathway to the good-paying jobs of the future.”

Seattle’s new program is a step in the right direction. Due to economic limitations, many students lack access to traditional internships—which may require quitting a job or moving to another state. This current system perpetuates racial and economic disparities by positioning internships as a privilege for some students, rather than as a critical stepping stone for all as they move from college to professional employment.

Until initiatives like Opportunity Promise become more widespread, business leaders will shoulder the responsibility of narrowing this internship inequality gap. In doing so, they will access a wider pool of talent, and a diverse array of skills, that will undoubtedly strengthen their teams. One strategy is offering “micro-internships,” which allow students to work remotely on short-term projects while continuing to take courses, live in student housing, and hold other jobs.

What Are Micro-Internships?

While internships have existed for decades, innovative program types have begun to emerge. Virtual internships are increasingly popular: The University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, for example, connects students with global virtual internships in companies around the world, and even the federal government hires virtual interns in many bureaus.

Where micro-internships differ is in their execution, according to Parker Dewey, the organization that pioneered the concept. “Micro-internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns,” it explains. They usually consist of 5 to 40 hours of work, and can occur any time of year. They are highly-specific, project-based positions, often in arenas like lead generation, content creation, or data entry. Students receive a fixed fee, typically equating to $15 to $25 per hour, and are given between one week and one month to complete their project.

In its first few years, Parker Dewey claims it has helped more than 1,000 students complete micro-internships at companies such as Microsoft, CBRE, Dell, Leo Burnett, and Barilla. Perhaps inspired by the organization, Northeastern University has recently introduced a similar program called the Experiential Network, which arranges virtual six-week projects for its students.

Research and practice have identified three ways this trend can benefit both employers and students.

Democratize the College-to-Career Transition

Fewer than half (41%) of college students feel well-prepared for their future careers, according to a recent McGraw-Hill survey. When asked what would have made them feel more prepared, the largest percentage of students (51%) responded with “more internships and professional experiences.”

Although it is clear that internships can prime students for their post-college lives, many are unable to take advantage of traditional arrangements. As Goldie Blumenstyk wrote in the Chronicle for Higher Education: “What about the students whose life circumstances don't allow them the luxury of relocating for a cool opportunity or taking on the equivalent of a second job, not to mention the students who lack the connections to land one?”

A micro-internship, or semester-long virtual internship, can help narrow the internship access gap. “It gives students the opportunity to work in a field that may not be available to them due to geographic reasons,” RIT career counselor Janine Rowe told the school’s Reporter Magazine. “Virtual employment generally offers time flexibility to accommodate classes, volunteering and sleep schedules.”

Create a More Diverse Talent Pool

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate of young black college graduates is 6.7% — nearly twice that of their white peers.

Jeffrey Moss founded Parker Dewey, the micro-internship agency, as a response to these issues of diversity and privilege. “In my former career as an education investor, I saw a huge gap between talent and hiring,” he told Unleash Group. “I met talented, hardworking students who didn’t come from the ‘right’ schools or have the right major or GPA or family connections to get in the door.”

Not only do micro-internships connect employers with a more diverse array of students, they also mitigate the consequences of a bad hire — thereby encouraging employers to consider candidates they might otherwise overlook. “Since an individual gig requires little to no commitment, a company can more easily provide an opportunity to someone from a different background,” Moss explained on the Society for Human Resources Management blog. “And by seeing these individuals in action, companies can more effectively assess communication, problem solving, grit, and the other core skills that are vital to success.”

Reduce HR Cost and Attrition

Traditional internship programs can be an expensive investment. One full-time, $12-per-hour intern for 10 weeks equates to $4,800 in payroll — along with the need for a workspace, housing or transportation stipend, and personnel to hire and manage them.

Compare that to a micro-intern, who would likely cost $200 to $600 and would not require a desk or computer. As David Creelman wrote at TLNT, micro-internships can be a solution for companies that do not have the resources or need for a full-time intern, but still have “bits of real work an intern could do.”

Beyond the duration of the project, micro-internships could decrease attrition among young employees. According to research cited in the Harvard Business Review, 70% of new graduates leave their job within two years. To reduce this attrition rate, it might be wise to allow both employer and student a trial period in the form of a micro-internship.

Adam Hecktman, director of technology and civic innovation at Microsoft, told Forbes about a successful micro-intern who became a full-time employee. "While we were focused on just getting some help on a project, we quickly realized that the student was incredible,” he said. “We saw her work ethic and skills, and got an inside track on hiring her."

Micro-internships can be a powerful alternative or complement to standard internship programs. For companies, they offer a way to diversify their employee pipeline, reduce attrition, and forge relationships with ambitious young talent. For students, they offer an excellent opportunity to gain real-world experience and connections with more flexibility and fewer barriers to access. All together, micro-internships can reduce inequalities inherent in the traditional internship paradigm by providing invaluable professional training to a broad array of students. Companies that add micro-internships to their hiring strategy will certainly benefit.