ESTABLISHING AN EMPLOYER INDUSTRIAL PRACTICE PROGRAM
Initial Considerations: An employer considering the initiation of an Industrial Practice (IP) Program should be certain the rationale for IPP implementation complements overall company philosophy and is endorsed and supported at the highest levels of the organization. Included in this commitment should be an understanding that IP Programs are, first and foremost, educational programs integrated with practical experience.
Interested companies should develop clear organizational objectives for the IP Programs and communicate the objectives to key managers and supervisors. It must be determined whether sufficient work is available to warrant the hiring of an IPP student. There should be ample work available to keep the student active during the entire semester. Further, the work should be challenging and commensurate with the student’s academic level. The program should be initiated based on the availability of continuous and progressively more responsible assignments.
When developing an IP Program, it is recommended that a company representative be designated as the person responsible for IPP operations. This individual will have responsibility for the development and direction of the program throughout the company. This individual acts as the liaison between the company and the Jonsson School. He or she should have the time, energy, and commitment to promote the IP Program throughout the organization.
Close attention must also be given to the selection of persons chosen to provide direct supervision of IPP students. Emphasis should be given to placing students under supervisors who can see their roles as “educators” as well as supervisors.
The IPP Work Assignment: Identifying recruiting needs involves more than determining the number of IPP students required. It also involves the development of specific job requirements for each type of position. It is useful to all parties if the employer prepares a one-page job description summarizing the requirements for each IPP position the company plans to fill.
A successful IP Program should provide the student with a sequence of planned activities. The effectiveness of the IP Program hinges, to a large extent, on how effectively IPP students are trained and utilized. Assignments should progress in responsibility, compensation, and complexity as students move through their academic program and the corporate IPP work assignments.
SUGGESTED COMPANY POLICIES FOR IP PROGRAMS AND EMPLOYEES
The following suggestions will assist employers in developing company policies which will optimize the results of an IP Program.
Supervision: Monitor, supervise, and mentor student participants. Recognize and reward quality performance by students and their supervisors. Encourage or provide opportunities for supervisors of IPP students to develop appropriate supervisory techniques (which may be different from techniques for supervising regular, full-time employees).
Compensation: Federal law requires that all employees be compensated for their work. These laws include student employees on Industrial Practice Programs assignments.
IPP student salaries vary from one employer to another depending on the size of the organization, the position description, the academic major involved, the academic level of the student, the student responsibilities, and the regular starting salary for an entry-level person in that position. Information about average salary offers are available on the IPP web site.
Participating companies should develop a fair and competitive salary structure. If a student is participating in a multiple semester IPP assignment, it is advisable that the pay scale allow for successive increases to reward the student on each returning work assignment.
Benefits: Fringe benefits are optional. Many companies provide full-time IPP students with a modified benefits package. Some of these benefits include: insurance, company seniority, vacation time, medical coverage, sick pay, educational assistance, and paid holidays. In addition, many companies offset travel and temporary living expenses in instances where students are required to travel long distances for their IPP assignment.
Please note, employers do not pay Unemployment Compensation taxes for IPP student workers. Once students leave their IPP assignments, they are ineligible for unemployment compensation. State law requires the payment of Worker’s Compensation taxes.
Additionally, employers are not required to withhold or to pay Social Security or Medicare taxes for international students. (See IRS Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens, this exception does not apply to international students who have been in the U.S. in five separate calendar years.)
Income Taxes: All federal, state, and local income tax laws must be complied with for IPP student employee wages. International students on F-1 or J-1 visas are subject to withholding of federal and state taxes unless they are exempt by provision of a tax treaty with their country of origin. F-1 and J-1 student employees must provide documentation of such a treaty to the employer on Form 8233.
IMPLEMENTING AN EMPLOYER IP PROGRAM
The following steps or objectives will assist an employer in the initiation and operation of a successful IP Program.
Develop the Assignment Description: Once a company agrees to become an Industrial Practice Programs employer, an assignment description is completed for each position to be filled by an IPP student. The description should include:
• Job description
• Qualifications, such as: academic major(s), special skills, the completion of particular coursework, work authorization or the academic level of the candidates
• Duration-a minimum of a semester in length is the normal assignment
• Salary and Benefits
• Name and Telephone Number of the Supervisor
Managing the Selection Process: Upon receiving the assignment description, the IPP staff will forward resumes of those students who meet the employer’s requirements. The employer may contact the students directly if they elect to interview at their offices or at another designated location. If the employer would like to interview on campus, the IPP staff will schedule the interviews.
When interviews are completed, make hiring decisions promptly and notify the IPP staff of the employment decision.
Responsibilities of the Assignment Supervisor: During the work assignment, the IPP student most frequently interacts with his or her immediate supervisor. The supervisor is in a position to strongly influence the student’s perception of the work world. The supervisor may also help the student by addressing observable strengths and weaknesses. Since a mentoring relationship often develops between a student and supervisor, the supervisor’s ability to provide encouragement and immediate constructive feedback is integral to the success of the corporate Industrial Practice Program.
The assignment supervisor should assist students, particularly those students who are about to begin their first work assignment, by providing an orientation to the organization. Keep in mind that this may be the student’s first job or first professional work assignment.
Provide an Orientation to the Organization: In acquainting the student with the IPP employer, the assignment supervisor and the organization’s IPP coordinator should:
1. Provide the student with an overview of the company, division, and department. Review the organization’s purpose, structure, and product or service;
2. Describe the student’s position, status, salary, and benefits;
3. Discuss administrative details with the student: working hours, record keeping, computer access, security issues, time sheets, overtime, sick and personal leave, holidays, and lunch hours;
4. Orient the student to the office or department: conduct a tour, make introductions, and review office procedures and resources;
5. Answer questions on parking, dress code, and other matters; and
6. If necessary, assist in acquainting the student with an unfamiliar city or area: the student benefits from information and guidance on housing, transportation, recreation, shopping, medical care, churches, and educational and cultural opportunities.
Outlining the Work Assignment: Following the orientation, the student should be briefed on specifics of the work assignment. These should include:
1. An overall description of the student’s projects and responsibilities;
2. An assessment of each project’s status, timetable, and relationships to other projects within the team or unit;
3. The tasks to be completed and how they relate to each project;
4. The student’s responsibility in completing the tasks, including time frame, expected quality, and thoroughness;
5. Specific instructions on task completion, including an orientation to any special equipment to be used for the project, coworkers with whom the student will be working, and locations of equipment and materials;
6. To whom the student is responsible;
7. Who will direct the student;
8. How, when and by whom the work will be evaluated
Ongoing Responsibilities of the Assignment Supervisor: In addition to assigning tasks, supervising activity, and evaluating performance, the assignment supervisor maintains other responsibilities during the work period:
1. Stays in contact with the IPP campus coordinator and communicates problems back to the coordinator as soon as possible so they can be resolved quickly;
2. Identifies specific and measurable learning objectives to be completed during the work session;
3. Establishes the most effective method of evaluating student achievement of objectives;
4. Monitors progress and provides continuous and constructive feedback; and
5. Coordinates on-site visits of the student’s IPP campus coordinator
Procedures for the End of the Work Period:
1. Review each student’s learning, evaluate each student’s performance, and advise each student about professional and academic development;
2. Discuss accomplishment of student goals; identify strengths and weaknesses;
3. Complete an Employer Evaluation Form and submit it to the IPP office;
4. If appropriate, develop plans for the student’s next IPP assignment and communicate that information to the student and to the Jonsson School IPP staff;
5. Analyze future IPP student needs and notify Jonsson School IPP offices if you will need additional student staff