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 Having
established a successful internship program, the Marine Advanced Technology
Education (MATE) Center is looking for new partners in the marine and
environmental fields to host interns at their organization.
If you are interested in hosting an intern at your organization, please
complete the MATE Internship Request
Form and our Internship coordinator will contact you with a list of
potential interns and to discuss details of the internship.
If you are considering hosting an intern, but would like more information,
please read-on, or contact the MATE Internship Coordinator by email
or by phone at (831) 646-4011.
MATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The MATE Center will be placing students from Monterey Peninsula College and other educational partner institutions throughout the nation.
The internship
evaluations that we have received from both students and their supervisors
have been outstanding, and it is clear that the MATE internship program
has been beneficial to both students and the organizations that have hosted
them.
The MATE Center is a national consortium of organizations and individuals
concerned with the broad field of marine science and technology, and the
education of people to work in that field. Funded by the National Science
Foundation, the MATE Center headquarters are located at Monterey Peninsula
College, which is developing a new program for students interested in
marine science and technology. One of the primary goals of the MATE Center
is to work with employers to develop curriculum and training programs
that meet the needs of employers in the marine and environmental fields.
In both phone and written interviews, employers have consistently stressed
the importance of work experience in hiring new employees. To ensure that
our graduates are competitive upon entering the workforce, the MATE Center
has developed regional and national internship programs and is seeking
to expand the number of opportunities available to students through those
programs.
The MATE Center will be placing students from Monterey Peninsula College,
Hartnell College, Cabrillo College, and California State University Monterey
Bay. Students from these schools have a great diversity of skills and
training, including computer programming, GIS, GPS, electronics, welding,
carpentry, chemistry, water quality analysis, HAZMAT training, diving
certification, HTML and web programming, biological and geological survey
techniques, and statistics. We will be prescreening applicants to ensure
the best possible match between the needs of the organization and the
skills and interests of the student.
If you are interested in hosting an intern, please complete the MATE
Internship Request Form. We have
already begun screening interns for Fall and Winter positions and will
send you the resumes of the best intern candidates for your organization
as soon as we receive your response. If we are unable to locate a student
with the skill sets needed by your organization, we will notify you in
early November, and will hope to place an intern with your organization
in the Spring.
Finally, if you are unable to host an intern but know of another organization
that might be interested, please pass this information on to them, or
call to leave us the name and number of a contact at that organization
and we will follow up.
We look forward to working with you to ensure the best possible experience
for both your organization and our students. If you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact the Internship Coordinator via email
or by phone at (831) 646-4011.
MATE Internship Program Questions and Answers
Why should my organization host an intern?
By hosting an intern, you are making an important contribution to a student's
education. Internships provide students with critical job experience,
help them to focus their educational goals, and give them a chance to
develop skills they have learned in the classroom. In addition, interns
can provide cost-effective, highly skilled labor for your organization,
while giving you a chance to observe potential new employees without having
to hire them on a long term basis.
Does my organization need additional liability insurance if I want
to host an intern?
No. As long as the internship meets the criteria outlined below, interns
will be enrolled in an academic course and thus will be covered under
their academic institution's liability insurance. Your organization will
not need any additional insurance coverage for a MATE Center intern. The
criteria for a student to receive academic credit for an internship include:
- the internship must last a minimum of two weeks or eighty hours
- both the intern and the supervisor must sign an agreement outlining
the work to be undertaken
- the intern must obtain the approval of a faculty supervisor
- the workplan must include skill training and/or development, e.g.:
- use and maintenance of electronic equipment
- field sampling or monitoring
- use of laboratory equipment and procedures
- report writing and research
- data analysis and visualization
- less than 10% of the total time outlined by the workplan can be comprised
of "menial tasks", e.g.:
- filing
- cleaning of equipment and facilities (excluding equipment used
in procedures in which the intern is an active participant)
- running errands.
If the internship does not meet these criteria, the student will not
be able to receive academic credit for the internship through the MATE
Center. We will still do our best to place a student with your organization,
but we may not be able to provide liability coverage.
Should internships be paid?
Internships may be either paid or unpaid. Many of our students are
self-supporting and some support a family, so not all students will be
able to participate in unpaid internships. If your organization is unable
to support a paid internship position, please consider a small stipend
as an alternative. Regardless of compensation, however, MATE students
recognize the value of work experience and we have been able to fill unpaid
positions.
How long will it take to find an intern?
Depending on the position, it usually takes two to three weeks to
place an intern with an organization. Unpaid internships may take longer
to fill.
How does the selection process work?
Upon receiving the internship description from your organization,
the internship coordinator will review all student applications on file.
The coordinator will then mail or fax you the resumes and applications
of the best matches. You are then free to contact and hire as many of
those applicants as you wish. Alternatively, if none of the applicants
meet your needs, the internship coordinator will continue to look for
qualified students for as long as you wish. An alternative selection process
may also be arranged with the internship coordinator.
What are my obligations?
To ensure that the internship is successful, we will ask you to develop
a short workplan for the student. All interns will be enrolled in a for-credit
internship course and will be graded based upon their ability to complete
the workplan and your evaluation of their performance. As this is an academic
experience for the students, we will ask you to sign an internship agreement
that outlines the skills and experience a student can expect to receive
during the internship. At the completion of the internship, we will ask
you to complete a short evaluation form and write a brief letter evaluating
the student's performance.
What if there are problems with an intern?
An internship coordinator will be available to answer questions and
assist in resolving any problems that may arise during the internship.
Please note that the internship may be terminated at any time by either
party.
Additional questions?
If you have any additional questions or concerns please contact Lani Clough, the MATE Internship Coordinator, at (831) 646-4011.
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