Giving Manufacturing a Second Glance
We have all heard the saying, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.” In academic circles, manufacturing rarely gets the first look, let alone one that is on the same plane or that has the same enthusiasm as insights into other career opportunities. Students are often lured by the perception of occupational fields that appear to be more glamorous and culturally accepted in today’s society.
As an industry, manufacturing has had a negative stigma attached to it when it comes to accessibility, innovation, creativity, and opportunity for potential employees and recent graduates.
Newcomers to the workforce rarely have an “inside” look into the many benefits that are obtainable through employment in the industry sector. Positive work climates, a variety of uses for talent and skills, and opportunities for career growth and enhancement are just a few of the reasons why manufacturing deserves a second look.
The Value of Manufacturing Internships
Internships are a unique way that both students and manufacturers can intersect interests with needs in today’s economy.
With manufacturing internships, students are offered a first-hand look into workplace culture. They are afforded the opportunity to network, earn college credit, and most importantly, build their résumé. Interns are able to increase their skill and gain confidence in their ability to contribute in the workplace. Interns quickly learn of the diverse opportunities available in manufacturing, ranging from accounting to sales and marketing, customer service, engineering, production, quality control, and human resources. Each one of these areas plays an important role in the success of the entire organization.
Manufacturing internships not only enables business owners to engage the community, but also allows them to fill full and part-time position loses with quality interns. They benefit immediately from the work that the intern is able to provide. They are also able to train interns for potential re-entry into their permanent labor force. Through their work with training interns, managers often learn the strengths and weaknesses that are inherent in their existing company training protocols of other full-time employees.
Growing Through the Shared Intern Experience
Harmony Enterprises, the innovative global solutions provider for waste handling and recycling, understands the value that is gained through an internship partnership. Working closely with local school districts, and with recent graduates with their own internship goals, Harmony has utilized the skills of several interns this summer. This young, fresh, and intrinsically motivated pool of talent has provided a much-needed lift to the workload in both the accounting and engineering departments.
Kendyl Bennett – Accounting Intern, Harmony Enterprises
Their work experience has not been limited to data entry. Instead, these bright future leaders have been tasked with important report creation, project development, implementation of technology, and problem-solving. They have participated in important meetings, learned how decisions are made, issues are identified, discussed, and solved, and how accountability and ownership are given to those in the right seats.
One engineering intern, Elayna Kiehne, shared her thoughts on her experience. “I expected to get a taste of engineering and what a job (in manufacturing) would consist of. My expectations we met and exceeded. I was able to learn so much about this and do look at this as a job potential for my future.”
Elayna Kiehne, Engineering Intern, Harmony Enterprises
“I expected to get a taste of engineering and what a job (in manufacturing) would consist of. My expectations we met and exceeded. I was able to learn so much about this and do look at this as a job potential for my future.”
– Elayna Kiehne, Engineering Intern
Ms. Kiehne recognizes that the experience was not only enlightening but that the experience she gained will be an invaluable asset to her in career search after college. It has become an accepted fact that students with internship experience have a much greater chance of landing a full-time position in a related field when compared to those with no internship experience.
Through this shared opportunity, Harmony Enterprises was able to further extend its core values of Career, Culture, and Community, while proving that manufacturing internships are a viable part of the student learning and employment hiring process.
If you are interested in learning more about Harmony Enterprises, its many quality products, or community involvement, please contact us here, visit our employment page, or call us at 1-(507) 886-6666 today!
