What does the job market mean for internship programs?

This year's crop of new college graduates is facing a poor job market. What does the current economic situation mean for those still in school who are hoping to get an internship or co-op assignment this summer?

Employers have long favored internship and cooperative education programs as means to build their candidate pool, and, for many, converting interns/co-ops into full-time hires is their program's primary goal. In fact, employers typically rate these programs as among their most effective tools for recruiting full-time hires.

In the previous economic downturns, many organizations have kept their internship/co-op programs running, recognizing the value of the program not only in terms of feeding the candidate pool but also as a way to maintain the organization's image on campus and ensure campus relationships remain intact. What about this time?

Next week, NACE will publish results of its new Experiential Education Survey. The report will include hiring projections for 2009 interns and co-ops, plus metrics for internship and co-op programs.

Highlights from the report will be released in conjunction with NACE's Spotlight Online newsletter.