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| Photo courtesy Samuel Barker |
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| Samuel Barker, a former BYU-Idaho student from Bountiful, Utah, works on a machine during his internship at NASA. |
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One of the things that makes BYU-Idaho unique is its extensive internship program. Having a three-track system at BYU-I has caught the eye of many companies looking for students interested in having internships year-round.
Not only do internships enhance student’s educational experience, but internships also help students network and find future employment opportunities. In the four-and-one-half years that the internship office has been operating most students have had successful experiences with internships.
“Last year, out of all our 3,000 internships, 60-65 percent of the interns were offered a position with the company they worked for,” said Guy Hollingsworth, BYU-I internship director.
Most programs require students to get an internship before graduating. Getting an internship may seem like a daunting task to students who are uneducated about them. Here are a few steps to getting an internship:
1.) Start researching and deciding months in advance what type of an internship you would like or what company you would want to apply for. Go to the office of the internship coordinator for your department and ask for information on internship opportunities.
2.) Apply for the internships that you are interested in.
3.) When a company decides that they want to have you as their intern, go to the department internship coordinator and fill out an Initial Internship Approval form.
4.) Bring the form to the university internship office to be approved by Guy Hollingsworth.
5.) The department internship coordinator then registers you for academic internship credit.
The internship program was created on behalf of the students, and students are the focus.
“I don’t know of any other school that has internships as much of their focus as BYU-I,” Hollingsworth said.
Internships help students keep pace with the fast-paced world of careers.
“The world is changing. To keep pace, BYU-I is rethinking education. Our approach is both innovative and responsive to the needs of students and industry alike,” said Elder David A. Bednar, former BYU-I president. “Internships now play a vital role in our academic programs. These internships, especially when combined with integrated degrees, will better prepare graduates to make worthwhile contributions by giving them greater depth and breadth of understanding.”
