What is the Internship Process?

Thank you for your interest in partnering with AACC’s Internship Program!  Here is how you can get started.

Step 1: Complete an Internship Proposal 

• Click here^PDF to obtain a template for an Internship Proposal. If you work from a home-based business, please look through our Home-Based Business Internship Risk Management Checklist.^PDF Once your Internship Proposal is ready, please e-mail it to internships@aacc.edu for review.
• Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have questions about internship credit-worthiness, intern compensation or strategies to reinforce learning and meet workplace needs. AACC has an Internship Program Coordinator (Tony Teano, 410-777-2475, internships@aacc.edu) as well as a Coordinator for Engaged Learning (Danielle Strand, 410-777-2859, STEMengagedlearning@aacc.edu) in STEM areas (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) who are happy to be of assistance to you. 

Step 2:  Register on AACC’s Internship Navigator

• The AACC Internship Navigator is a searchable online database of student resumes as well as internship opportunities like yours. Registration is quick and easy. Click here to access the Navigator and bring visibility to your opportunity. The Internship Navigator is just one approach to market your opportunity.
• We also have a Facebook presence that brings together students, faculty and employers like you. Click here to participate in our growing social network promoting a culture of internships, just search for AACC Internship Program.  
• Also, feel free to contact us to discuss other ways you can get to know our internship community—such as participating in a brown bag lunch talk, making a class room visit and talking about your area of expertise, and more!

Step 3:  Interview Internship Candidates 

• Please treat the internship candidate as you would a hire for any other opportunity with your office. If it appears to be a good mutual fit, please notify the Internship Office that you have identified a potential intern. 

Step 4. Complete Required AACC and Departmental Forms

• Once a student enrolls in an internship course, a faculty advisor will be assigned from the school to collaborate with the worksite mentor and the intern. At this point, your intern will bring to you an AACC Internship Memorandum of Understanding that clarifies roles and responsibilities on the internship. To preview the MOU, click here.^PDF
• Additionally, academic departments use forms appropriate to their field to track and monitor the internship. You have a critical role in helping a student to establish learning objectives on which the student’s success will be measured. The learning objectives are developed jointly with the student, the AACC faculty advisor, and your workplace mentor. 

Step 5. Mentor the Intern! 

• The internship experience is a learning one, and your business’ mentorship is critical to student success.
• Provide the intern with a great orientation.
• Give the intern frequent and meaningful feedback.
• Give the student access to high-profile leaders in your organization through meetings or brown bag lunches.
• Please work closely with the faculty advisor to ensure that the intern’s assignments have academic rigor.
• Allow the intern to sit in on meetings to learn.
• Connect the projects the intern works on to how the tasks move the organization’s mission forward.
• Please provide a mid-term and final evaluation of your intern’s performance.
• Show the intern you value their contributions and consider a token of appreciation to say “thank you” at the end of the experience.
• Share success stories with the internship office.

Step 6.  Provide Feedback 

• Your views are important to us. Your partnership is valued. Please take a few moments to reflect on the internship experience and let us know what it was like for you so that we may build upon successes and grow the program to better meet your needs. 

More FAQs