Employees gain insight through externships

Externships – through which businesses send their employees to work elsewhere, to learn more about particular aspects of their jobs – differ from traditional internships in that the company hosting an extern does not pay for the employee’s costs; those are covered by the extern’s home organization.

The veteran

Springfield Public Schools has been offering externship opportunities to its teachers for more than a decade, according to Teresa Bledsoe, a grant writer in the district’s community development office.

Participating teachers work at a partnering business for three weeks during the summer, for up to 90 hours, Bledsoe said. Part of her job is finding companies to work with the district on the extern program, which is paid for by the school district. Bledsoe said the Springfield district spends about $10,000 on its extern program each year.

Teachers in the program create a curriculum based on their experience in that industry, to teach their students during the following school year.

“They can come back and share with their students real-world experience directly related to their areas of instruction,” Bledsoe said. “And they can also keep abreast of changing trends in the employment world, so they can help their students … when they’re ready to seek jobs, to know what’s expected by employers.”

Bledsoe said that about 10 teachers participate each year, chosen after an interview process that includes representatives of the partner businesses. Teachers receive a stipend from the district for their work.

“They really are working – there are specific expectations of them while on the job,” she said. “They have to write a curriculum and be on the job for about 30 hours a week for three weeks. But there’s no cost to the business for their employment.”

Added training

Even a member of the manufacturing community, where finding enough qualified workers is as tough as any industry, is sending its employees to other companies for extra training.

SRC Holdings Corp. sends some of its employees to other businesses that participate in The Great Game of Business, SRC Founder Jack Stack’s open-book management program.

One example is Zingerman’s, a deli in Ann Arbor, Mich. That company specializes in customer service, and SRC has sent several employees to participate in the company’s training seminars, according to Melinda Stevens, director of human resources at SRC. Stevens said the company also sends employees from one SRC business to another. “We are very diversified,” she added. “We shift our people around so that they can start building that foundation that will prepare them for future opportunities. We’re very fortunate to have that kind of diversified organization.”

The Springfield office of advertising agency Noble is participating on the other end of the externship equation, having entered into a partnership that began in October with the Culinary Institute of America.

Noble is hosting two culinary institute externs, who work at least 18 weeks and 600 hours, on everything from menu and product development for national chain restaurants to culinary consulting and recipe development. Though most extern hosts don’t incur any expenses, Noble pays the externs an undisclosed amount for their work.

“We provide real-life, hands-on experience for the extern,” said Judy Sipe, Noble’s chief culinary officer, via e-mail. She added that the students receive six credits toward their Culinary Institute degrees. “This program provides the extern with real-life, hands-on culinary experience … they wouldn’t otherwise gain this early in their careers.”

Balance

Even with the additional costs – and the loss, albeit temporary, of one or more employees – employers who send workers out as externs say the investment brings significant returns.

SPS’ Bledsoe said the school district’s externship program creates additional bonds between the schools and the business community, which can lead to more educational opportunities.

She specifically mentioned Katie Lebeck, a sixth-grade math teacher at Hickory Hills School who did an externship with the Brentwood Library. Lebeck has now convinced the library to send employees to her classroom to work with students on math-related research topics.

“Those teachers have professionals in the business community that they can draw upon,” Bledsoe said. “Hopefully those (relationships) will grow and expand over time.”

And the companies that host externs benefit as well.

“We’re exposed to raw talent and have the chance to influence and shape the extern’s career in the food industry,” Sipe said.

What is an Externship?

Externships are similar to internships in that an employee or student takes a temporary job with another organization in order to gain work experience in a particular industry.

The difference between the two programs is in the expense of the program. An intern, when paid, is paid by the company for which they are performing the internship. Externs, however, in most cases, are paid by the company that sends them. The sending company weighs the cost of paying an employee to work elsewhere against the benefits of the additional experience they will gain, and bring to the company.