It’s Black History Month, and many leaders see this month as a to time recommit and unravel the disenfranchisement of Black workers. Make your DEI action plan real and create an inclusive talent pipeline by launching or upgrading your intern program.
Contact NCXT about starting your intern program.
Bri Frederick, Data Science Practice Lead at DataDrive, looks to the future while implementing their new intern program. As she put it,” We wanted to (and still want to) figure out how best to support, encourage, and contribute to the growth of people who are new in their careers or are exploring careers.”
That future-forward thinking is remarkable because it's all about improving the pipeline. To have a DEI impact, you must consider the skillsets your company and industry needs 1 - 3 years from now. You may think, “but wait, my interns are only going to be working here for the summer.” You are correct! But positioning interns to apply for permanent roles after graduation or continuing part-time throughout schooling contributes to the talent pipeline for your company and your industry overall. That is real DEI action.
Give your interns a balanced and healthy start with growth-oriented, bite-size chunks of work. At DataDrive, interns got started by documenting the data science toolset landscape and presenting their results to the company. Bri found her interns to be “...curious, eager, and enthusiastic about taking on new challenges.” She went on to point exclaim, “I love that they are ready to dive in and learn.” Minds with high-plasticity are genuinely remarkable, but remember that even experienced professionals take 90-days to reach their stride. Channel your enthusiasm into creating assignments that support the interns' growth and development, and realize that their contributions to projects, products, and services will take time to materialize.
Interns need to be a part of your team and supported once they leave; you’ll receive rewards for doing so. It’s just as Bri said, interns are “...awesome sources of feedback on what we could do better.” In the interests of DEI, implement intern feedback while teaching them to identify healthy work environments, and steer clear of disfunction. Give them confidence that you’ll have their back now and well into their careers. Make them part of the team. Stay in touch even after they’ve returned to school, started applying for permanent positions, or decided to launch a start-up. Your intern program is shaping the pipeline and young people’s lives. Stay engaged and take your role seriously.
The bloody and fierce battles fought and won in civil rights arenas across the globe erected ladders for Black workers to climb through higher learning and ascend professional ranks. Build more ladders and open more doors by making your DEI program real, using intern programs to create an inclusive talent pipeline.
Want some help getting started? Reach out to NCXT to schedule a conversation today.