What I Did last Summer: CIM Internship Programs

The CIM summer internship program allows students to gain valuable hands-on experience and exposure, while learning more about the concrete industry. Not only are the students learning, but they are also contributing to the companies that are providing the internships. Internships regularly lead to full-time employment opportunities and there are numerous examples of CIM students that have transitioned from internships to full-time positions. These internships have proven to be an excellent vehicle for companies to find their next generation of talent.

In order to gauge students’ attitudes and experiences about their 2010 summer internships, the NSC recently designed and distributed a survey to the participating students. The results of the survey were overwhelmingly positive – the majority of the students found the experience valuable to their future career goals. Some of the results of the survey are listed below:

What students liked about their internship:

95% - said they learned a lot during their internship

90% - said their internship prepared them for the real world

86% - said they liked their co-workers

86% - said their technical skills were utilized

77% - said they had interesting work

72% - said they made valuable contacts during their internship

72% - said they had a good supervisor/mentor

When asked how their internship helped prepare for their future career, students responded as follows:

It was the first time I had been a project lead and I learned how challenging it can be to manage people while staying productive.

This was a real-world environment so many of the obstacles and issues were not foreseeable.

It really showed me how important good customers are to a business and what must be done in order to keep them.

I really learned what a bigger company has to do to compete - especially in the precast area .

I learned how important every person’s job is from the president down to the general laborer to keep operations running smoothly.

The internship allowed me to get hands-on in a laboratory setting

It allowed me to gain a strong understanding of the materials used in concrete repair.

I am now more confident in my knowledge because I have solidified it and I am also more confident talking to people in a professional environment. It helped me see myself as a professional and not just a student.