At Nexim, we are proud of our internship program. We created the Nexim Admin Program because of a lack of development opportunities for youth, especially those at-risk. Our program offers paid internships for 16—24 year-olds, and focuses on developing professional office experience.
Internship programs are beneficial for both the company and the intern. Companies of all sizes are reaping the rewards from internship programs. Some of the benefits of internships for companies include:
- Finding future employees – Nexim internships vary in length, and some students have decided to stay on board as full-time or part-time employees at the end of the internship. The internship allows the student and us an opportunity to get to know each other and understand what the work entails.
- Increased productivity – Interns at Nexim have the opportunity to contribute to the success of the company. They spend their time supporting the office. Their tasks include clerical work, data analysis, problem solving and logistics. As a result, our interns make real contributions to productivity and help our full-time staff avoid being overburdened by side projects.
- Increased creativity – Interns are involved in brainstorming sessions and planning projects. Bringing new people on board helps foster different perspectives that break the status quo. In addition, interns have fresh insights and unique skill sets and strengths that add to the diverse perspectives of our team.
- Supporting the community we work in – hiring at-risk youth from GTA communities helps support and strengthen the Ontario labour force. We expose interns to a unique health care experience that they may not have had the opportunity to learn about. Some of our interns are interested in the healthcare field but do not have tangible experience. We provide hands-on training, real practice, and mentoring opportunities where interns can explore different types of work – thus helping to close skill gaps between youth and the workforce.
Benefits of internships for youth:
- Learn about strengths and weaknesses – during the internship, students often learn about their strengths and weaknesses through trial and error. For example, some interns are very shy during their first few weeks, but once they understand the work, they gain confidence. They start to get a better understanding of the tasks they enjoy.
- Test out a career path – internships are a wonderful opportunity to try a new career path. At Nexim, interns have the opportunity to try out different types of jobs from admin to logistics to business planning – students can try their hand at multiple tasks.
- Strengthen their resume – having substantial work experience and references has helped students strengthen their resumes.
- Understand the business world – before the internship program, many students did not have the opportunity to work in an office environment. The internship program breaks down barriers between youth and office work and allows them time to understand what the day-to-day truly feels like. In addition, by experiencing working in an office, students set themselves up for success because they know what to expect in their future jobs.
Internship programs are vital for both the company and the students. Youth are the future, and by learning the ways of the business world at a young age, they are gaining experience and exposure that will benefit them greatly.
One of our internship students is Zenith. She is 16 years old, and her goal is to study business at the University of British Columbia. She learned Excel, phone skills, computer skills, business communication, office work, and networking during the internship program. The job has provided her with a co-op program during high school. Check out Zenith’s testimonial and others from Admin Program employees.
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