Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JUNE 30, 2025 17 Powering Real Estate with Solar Simplicity Your turnkey partner for commercial solar and Your turnkey partner for commercial solar and energy storage. energy storage. Long-term energy savings Long-term energy savings End-to-end project delivery End-to-end project delivery Solutions for rooftops, carports, and land Solutions for rooftops, carports, and land Service nationally, based in Old Saybrook, CT Service nationally, based in Old Saybrook, CT Scan to learn more Let's build your energy future - connect at telyon.com/contact is nearly complete. Lowder said he's learned how a large corporation functions, from "how they do their decision-making, their problem-solving, their IT infra- structure," to how they communicate with third parties. He said students know job market competition is fierce, and many are seeking experience in their fields through internships during college, hoping to gain an edge. "With a plethora of people in college, I think internships are incred- ibly valuable to stand out amongst peers, get more recognition, or maybe be in the spotlight more for future employers," Lowder said. "And it's definitely changed the landscape for what's expected of students." Fewer internships Over the last two years, internship postings on the career website Hand- shake declined by more than 15% between January 2023 and January 2025, while internship applications surged, the website operator said in a recent report. The average applications per intern- ship rose to 96 in January, compared to 56 in January 2024, and 32 in January 2023. The downtick is creating high demand for the internships that remain available, said Beth Settje, associate director for experiential learning at UConn's Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills. She said legislative policies have caused a number of agencies to lose funding, such as the National Institutes of Health, forcing them to cut internship programs. That uncertainty is trickling into the private sector. "Some private industries are uncer- tain about what is going to happen, so they are offering fewer opportuni- ties, because it just keeps changing so quickly," Settje said. But, she said, the drop in intern- ship openings could also be part of a self-correction from the post-pandemic surge. Historically, the number of intern- ships available dropped between 2008 and 2012, during the Great Recession, she said. As the economy recovered, so did the number of internship opportunities. The pandemic caused another down- ward slump in 2020 and 2021, she said. But the availability of internships bounced back from 2022 to 2024. Generally, internship programs with high rates of conversion to full-time employment tend to be among the most attractive to students, according to Settje. Employers also compete on wages and other bene- fits, such as providing intern housing. Most internships for college students are paid. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires interns to be compensated when they are consid- ered an employee, meaning their employer is the "primary beneficiary" of their work. Certain internships that mainly provide education training, or are tied to formal education, may be unpaid under certain circumstances, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. When employers screen interns, Settje said they are increasingly looking for those with hard skills, which are crucial for performing complex tasks. A recent report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers states that nearly two-thirds (64%) of employers used skills-based hiring practices for new hires. Meantime, industry experience has become more vital to future employ- ment, with 84.4% of employers saying an internship is a crucial factor in evaluating new hires — the second most important consideration next to academic major. Grade point average has plummeted in terms of importance for new hires. According to NACE's spring report, only about 40% of employers said they were recruiting based on GPA. That's down from a peak of 73% in 2019. "This doesn't mean students should get Cs in all their classes," Settje said. "They should still aspire for the best grades possible. But employers, consistently, for quite a long time, not just the last couple years, have said … a 4.0 GPA does not always translate into being a 4.0 employee." Summer interns at Avangrid listen during a meeting. Employers are increasingly looking to hire college grads with hard skills, such as those gained from internships, as they place less importance on grade point averages. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Beth Settje

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