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Universities and technical colleges can be good sources of experienced and low-cost/no-cost assistance for your business. If you’re not already working with interns, it’s an area you should explore. There are benefits and rewards for all involved.

For the company, it’s an opportunity to work with ambitious, energetic, creative, and enthusiastic people — often at a very low cost. For interns, typically students, it’s a great way to earn a grade and credits and, in some cases, a stipend for their time.

When it comes to making the intern relationship work, the onus lies with the employer. Having clear objectives, a solid structure, and a willingness to commit your own time and energy to the relationship will have a significant impact on the success or failure of your interns. These are “must haves,” in fact, to even be considered as a potential “home” for an intern.

Internships that work best are those that are structured. Most need to be approved by the school that is providing the intern so it makes sense to have written directives available in advance. This also serves to ensure that there is no room for misunderstanding between you, the school, and the student. In essence, you should consider the internship in the same manner as you would a job.

Interns need to feel valued just as employees do. One common issue for interns is feeling as though they are not being fully utilized. Avoid the tendency to have interns work on menial tasks and provide them with opportunities to learn skills and engage in activities directly related to their courses of study.

Interns’ output should be overseen just as any employee’s work would be. Toward this end, it is important to make it clear who the intern reports to and who is responsible for overseeing their work and providing feedback. Again, the intern experience should be as close as possible to the experience of a typical employee.

Since competition for interns can be fierce — especially for the best and the brightest — and since schools are concerned about educational outcomes, speaking in their language can help you get noticed — and get an intern. For example, if you’re looking for a graphic designer, highlighting the specific learning objectives or competencies from the intern’s or school’s perspective will get you noticed. Some pertinent objectives might include:

• Learn to design user-friendly and visually appealing forms and documents.

• Develop skills in working with print vendors to produce documents.

• Build personal portfolio of materials produced.

A good starting point in developing meaningful objectives can be taking a look online to review various curriculum to see what schools are hoping students will gain through their courses.

Although larger companies often have an edge, small organizations have a lot to offer too and can sometimes be especially attractive to students because of the ability to gain a broader perspective, rather than being focused on just part of a process. Small companies can effectively compete with larger, more established firms, by selling themselves as though they were selling to a client: “This is what we have to offer. This is what the student is going to get out of the experience.”

While not all internships are paid, some amount of compensation can help. While students may simply be eager to gain experience to boost their employability, offering compensation can set you apart and make your opportunity that much more attractive.

The steps involved in obtaining an intern generally include:

• Clearly defining what your internship needs are — in writing

• Clarifying and writing objectives (based on curriculum needs)

• Contacting schools’ career services or internship departments

• Filling out required materials

• Interviewing candidates

• Making your selection and notifying the school

• Completing follow-up paperwork

• Completing required evaluations (based on the school’s expectations)