Maximizing the Value of Internships for Employers

Why It Matters

By turning internships into structured, data‑driven talent pipelines, companies can secure skilled workers faster, reduce hiring expenses, and drive innovation, delivering measurable ROI and broader economic benefits.

Key Takeaways

• Align internships with specific business problems for success
• Secure executive sponsorship and cross‑functional integration for program sustainability
• Define clear performance outcomes, supervision, and visibility for interns
• Track conversion rates, cost per hire, and time‑to‑productivity
• Leverage external partnerships and community impact to offset costs

Summary

The Aspen Institute’s Upskill America and Strata Education Foundation hosted a webinar unveiling new research on how employers can extract tangible business value from internships and other work‑based learning models.

Based on more than 40 in‑depth interviews across sectors and organization sizes, the study identified four enabling conditions—strategic alignment to a business problem, executive sponsorship, cross‑functional integration, and external partnerships—and four core activities: defining performance outcomes, providing consistent supervision, allocating resources, and measuring results. Employers reported benefits such as higher conversion rates, reduced time‑to‑productivity, and added capacity for innovation.

One interviewee warned, "The intern should never feel the pain of different departments," emphasizing the need for coordinated experiences. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee’s "Blue Sky" program illustrated the model, partnering with ETSU to close a local computing talent gap and cut onboarding time from 18 months to months.

The findings suggest that firms that treat internships as strategic talent pipelines can lower hiring costs, boost retention, and enhance brand reputation while contributing to community workforce development, making internships a win‑win for business and society.

Original Description

While the benefits of internships for students are well known, this webinar from March 18, 2026, dives into a first-of-its-kind study from Strada Education Foundation and UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute to explore how internship programs drive tangible business value.

Based on the newly released report, “Maximizing the Value of Internships: Advice from Employers,” we share insights from 40 diverse organizations on how they leverage internships to solve persistent talent and operational challenges. Our panel of experts discuss how leading companies define and measure the effectiveness of their programs to ensure a meaningful return on investment. Finally, we provide actionable strategies for creating the internal conditions necessary to build sustainable, high-impact internship programs that benefit both your organization and the next generation of talent.

Our speakers include Devina Fernandez (Workforce Development Partner, Endress+Hauser), Bradley Leon (Executive Director, BlueSky Tennessee Institute, BlueCross BlueShield of TN), Kevin Grubb (Vice President, Work Based Learning, Strada Education Foundation), and Haley Glover (Senior Director, UpSkill America, The Aspen Institute).

To read the report, “Maximizing the Value of Internships: Advice from Employers,” visit: http://www.strada.org/reports/maximizing-the-value-of-internships-advice-from-employers

For more information about this event, including a transcript and additional resources, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/maximizing-the-value-of-internships-for-employers/

For highlights from this discussion, subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@AspenEOP

Or subscribe to our podcast to listen on the go: https://pod.link/1503944129

To learn more about Strada, visit: https://www.strada.org/

To learn more about UpSkill America, visit: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/upskill-america/