This year, CEC recruited 63 interns nationwide to make up its Summer 2024 cohort. In its inaugural year in 2023, CEC converted 60 percent of our eligible interns into full-time roles with an acceptance rate at an impressive 88 percent. Both of these rates put CEC above the national averages reported by the National Association of College Employers (NACE). This accomplishment underscores the effectiveness of the program’s strategic planning and implementation.
First Steps
Natalie Wrazen, CEC’s Corporate University Relations Recruiter, spearheaded the program last year to standardize the internship experience across our multiple offices and practices. Natalie crafted a uniform Intern Orientation that highlighted CEC’s mission, values, policies, procedures, best practices, and educated interns on the people and history behind the company.
Professional Development Workshops
This summer, CEC has hosted three intern workshops: Communication Skills, Early-Career Employee Panel, and Presentation Preparations, all of which help foster interpersonal skills within the workplace and prepare students to take on their selected discipline as a full-time career.
One specific workshop, Presentation Preparations, centers around the end-of-summer presentations each intern gives to their peers. These presentations provide interns with a crucial opportunity to demonstrate the projects and deliverables they have completed as well as the skills they have gained during their time with CEC. These presentations are also instrumental in helping interns secure full-time offers from the company.
Kind Words
Our goal-oriented efforts play a huge hand in keeping the percentage of interns who convert to full-time roles at a nationally competitive rate. By focusing on helping interns grow in their chosen disciplines and providing tips on career advancement for young professionals, CEC is investing in potential recruits in ways that are tangible and actively beneficial throughout the internship experience, a statement proven by positive feedback.
Cosmo Gracik, a returning intern with the Civil Engineering group, speaks highly of the program, saying, “Last summer and this summer, it has just been a great environment to work in. Everyone is super helpful with any questions that I have, and I feel like they really focus on making you learn while also getting you involved in real projects.”
Miguel Torrenegra, a Summer 2023 intern who is now a full-time employee with the Manufacturing Infrastructure Services group, was asked how much of an impact the intern program had on his decision to come full-time. He said the impact was “huge. When I was an intern here, that is exactly what made me stay here and work full-time. I got to work alongside great people and work on different projects that really helped me understand the engineering industry.”
Looking to the Future
CEC’s intern program is already proving to be an integral component of bringing new talent into the company. Thanks to these efforts, practices at CEC can welcome early-career employees they already know and trust at an increased rate, allowing for seamless transitions for our team members. We will continue to take in feedback, tweak, and perfect the program as it continues to grow year after year.
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