Taking Your Internship Program to the Next Level

Pam Mathison | Shane Robitaille | MassMutualMary Kay Brown | High School of Science & Technology

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Taking Your Internship Program to the Next Level!

Goals for Today

• Background Information

• Strategy

• Best Practices

• Q&A

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Check-in

• Who is with us today?

• What would you like to take away from this session?

• What are you currently doing in this space? (internships)

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MassMutual Financial Group

• Fortune 100 Company & Fortune’s Global Most Admired• 162 year old mutually-owned insurance company• Headquarters in Springfield, MA• Operations in Enfield, CT, Memphis, TN & Phoenix, AZ

Our products:• Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, Retirement

Services, Long Term Care Insurance

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High School of Science & Technology

• A Magnet high school with 1,400 students• High drop out rate and low graduation rate• 85% free and reduced lunch• 9th Grade Academy (transition support to high school)• Four career academies

– AOIT– AOF– AOE– Allied Healthcare

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MassMutual & High School of Science & Technology

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MassMutual HSST

IT Academy Video

Produced by 2012 IT Academy interns

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Community Responsibility Education Strategy

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Education Strategy & Career Pathways

9Education Grants (6-12)

JA-in-a-Day (all 9th graders @ Central, HSST & Commerce)

PSAT Exam free ~ 10th grade

Academic Achiever Awards & Clubs (10-12)

Building Your Future Conference (10-12)

JA Stock Competition (10-12)

Career Pathways Mentoring (10-12)

Internships (10-16)

Scholarships

Springfield Business Leaders for EducationHigh School of Science & Technology

Advisory CouncilsAdvanced Placement (AP) Strategy

FTE

JA Job Shadow Day (10-12)

History of IT Academy

• For over a decade, MassMutual’s IT Academy has provided summer internships in information technology for select Springfield high school and local college students who are MassMutual Scholars or Academic Achievers.

• In 2010 the IT Academy program underwent a major overhaul, designed to establish a strong pipeline of diverse, entry-level talent.

• In 2012 we saw the number of applicants increase by over 150%. Additional internship positions (44 total) were added.

• In 2013 we have over 60 interns working in the IT career field.

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Today’s IT Academy

• Today’s IT Academy is a series of integrated, collaborative and progressively more challenging experiences that can take place over the course of up to six summers.

• While younger students focus on exploration of IT as a potential career, more experienced college interns work on honing their professional and technical skills in preparation for entering the workforce.

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IT Academy Recruitment & Preparation

• MassMutual Academic Achievers, 10th-12th grade• Achiever Club Promotion & In-School invitation letter

distribution• Positions posted on REB website• Apply for 5 positions• Student preparation• IT Academy Fair (pic here)• Interview Selection & Offers

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IT Academy Fair 2013

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Funding and Positions

• 25 positions (12 high school, 13 college) that are centrally funded this year; 35 positions are funded via department or project funding

• Positions run at $4 - $6k per position - $11 per hour for high school; $15 per hour for college

• Of the 25 centrally funded positions, 7 are reserved for preselected, high-caliber interns from last year, who have demonstrated an aptitude and interest in information technology.

• Manager Recruitment, Training, & Ongoing Support…The “who” matters

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DILO at MassMutual

Day In a Life Of……..

Internship Program Coordinator

• Wear many hats• Time• Passion• My other job

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Beyond a Work Experience

• Work– Imbedded in real jobs, in all types of roles, across the

enterprise• Learn

– Provided with a variety of learning opportunities via classroom and project-based experiences

• Grow– High school interns are mentored by college interns; all

interns are provided with advisors (MassMutual employees)

– Help make connections to areas of interest 16

Work Experience

• Work– Interns are imbedded in real jobs, in every type of role,

across the enterprise, doing real work– Exploration: High school interns usually work in a

supporting roles– Skill Building: College freshman and sophomores work

in more advanced roles– Skill Refinement: College juniors and seniors will often

drive specific work efforts

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Learning

• Power Lunches– Industry-related topics; subject matter experts provide

overviews on a variety of technology and business topics

• Public Speaking Lunch & Learn Jams– Interns participate in a Toastmasters public speaking

workshop• Technology Training

– Free access to online classes and books; classroom learning for Microsoft SharePoint and other software

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Learning

• TEDTalks– Interns hone their presentation skills by watching

selected TEDTalk videos and discuss presentation techniques

• 20-Day Challenge– College interns work as a team to develop and publish

learning content for high school inters– Themes with specific learning goals– Each challenge requires action– Online and physical discussion

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Learning

• High School Project– Work together to

develop a cohesive presentation for the end of the summer

– Very collaborative and empowering

– Specific roles are defined (e.g., project manager, content writers, digital media production, etc.) 20

Learning

• College Freshman and Sophomore Project– Specific roles are

defined (e.g., project manager, content writers, digital media production, etc.)

• Research and report

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Theme Content

Leadership What contemporary leaders do you admire and why?How can we develop new leaders for the company?What about leadership energizes you? Scares you?

Social Media How does Generation Y use social media to make purchasing decision? What companies do you follow on social media? Why?

Big Data, Privacy, and Generation Y

What are Generation Y’s expectations around privacy in a digital world?

Innovation How to develop an innovative culture?How can leaders grow innovation?

Gen Y and Career Planning

What kinds of companies attract you? What kinds of opportunities are you striving for in your first five years of your career?

Getting Ready for the Workforce

How can companies help prepare today’s youth for tomorrow’s careers?

Social Media, Gamification, MOOCs and Learning: Using Technology for Learning

How can technology assist in educating a workforce?

Schools, Companies and Learning

How can businesses work with high schools and colleges to better prepare students for the workforce?

Learning

• College Junior and Senior Project

• Specific roles are defined (e.g., project manager, content writers, digital media production, etc.)

• Engage company and industry experts

• Development solution(s) for business

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Grow

• High school interns are mentored by college interns

• Interns are provided with advisors (MassMutual employees)

• Advisors help make connections to areas of interest

• Stretch goals are emphasized• Ninjas

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IT Academy Community

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One calendar for all activities and meetings

IT Academy Community

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Announcements

Nominate peers for ninjas!

IT Academy Community

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20-day Challenge

Open Discussion

20-Day Challenge

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Informational

Collaborative

Social

HSST Best Practices

• Career Development Focus & Priority– Workplace Readiness Certificate Program – The 6 R’s

• Career Development/Internship Teacher• Student Assessment & Screening• Student Outreach & Preparation• Guidance Intervention & Advising• Mentor Worksite Support & Intervention• Case Management

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Working with our business partners

Do as the Romans Do…•Build Trust & Rapport•Timely Responses•Open Communication & Follow Through•Anticipate Needs of the Company Partner•Consistency

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Profile – Bhuwan

High School of Science & Technology, Class of 2013.Clark University, Freshman yearYears of IT Academy Internships: 2013

“My internship experience has a profound effect on me.”

“It is helping me to solidify my career choice, build a network with peers and possible future employers,

and develop skills.”

“It’s amazing to see the work that I’m doing being used and impacting millions of customers.”

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Profile – Raul

High School of Science &Technology, Class of 2012Wentworth Institute of Technology – Sophomore YearYears of IT Academy internships: 2011-2013

“My intern experience has impacted me a greatly.”

“It has given me a chance to develop as an individual and truly see what being a part of workforce is.”

“I believe that the workshops, advisor meetings, and projects that we do throughout the internship have

prepared me for the future. For example, the advisors are always there to support you and encourage you in your

life goals.”

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Profile – Raul

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Profile – Annie

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High School of Commerce, Class of 2010Babson College, Senior YearYears of IT Academy Internships: 2010 – 2013

“ Out of the numerous achievements and programs that MassMutual Financial Group has to offer, the IT

Academy is by far one of MassMutual’s greatest call to glory, and a great source of pride for the company and

the interns who are given the honor to participate.”

“The IT Academy has and continues to impact the professional lives of dozens of young adults in the

Western Massachusetts community.”

Profile – Julia

High School of Science & Technology, Class of 2013Westfield State University, FreshmanYears of IT Academy: 2012 – 2013

“My past internship helped me understand that no matter where you work, visual organization, and

design in general helps the team.”

“This year’s internship is giving me a direct view of how it will be like later on in my life with the major I

am going for.”

“This internship helped me determine that this career field is something I would like to do.”

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IT Academy

QUESTIONS???

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© 2012 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, Springfield, MA 01111-0001. All rights reserved. www.massmutual.com. MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives.

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