Zach Scovanec: Intern-To-Hire

Internships are vital to student and employer success. They allow students to put the knowledge and competencies learned during school into practice. Internships also provide companies with the ability to train and test potential new hires for critical skills. This has proven to be a worthwhile investment for employers that rely on their interns to provide a pipeline of future employees.

Scovanec discusses his experience as an intern with the robotics, welding and CNC machine classes at Autry Technology Center.

That’s exactly the experience Zach Scovanec had at Koch Fertilizer in Enid. Zach began his Summer internship on May 26, 2023. He found the position through his instructor at Autry Technology Center. He was interested in the internship because he’s lived in Enid most of his life and heard Koch was a great place to work.

Internships Matter for Employers

Companies of all sizes and industries hire interns to gain valuable support for the business and its existing employees. Internships allow companies to invest in their own future success and perhaps discover new talent and future leaders. Internships can also lead to:

1. A larger workforce
2. Mentorship opportunities
3. A fresh, new perspective
4. Positive publicity
5. An employee candidate pool

According to Forbes, most employers cite their internship program as the candidate sourcing technique with the best return on investment. Most interns who accepted a job with the same employer are still employed there one year later.

Internships Are Important for Students

For students, internships are more than a learning opportunity; they are an important path to a career. Even if a student does not receive a full-time offer from the employer where they completed their internship, other employers want to see internship and job-specific experience on their resumes. Internships also allow students to:

1. Test a job and industry before committing to it
2. Apply their classroom knowledge
3. Meet and network with professionals in the workforce
4. Learn new job-specific and applied skills

When we asked Zach Scovanec how his internship prepared him for permanent hire, he said he was treated as a normal employee and Koch allowed him to be a part of as many projects as he wanted. There was no limitation.

Expanding Internships is A Game Changer

Internships are a game changer for students, their employment outcomes, and for the companies that provide the positions. Employers that are concerned with their future pipeline of employees will continue to make significant investment in these programs as they know they have influence.

Scovanec is now a full-time fixed equipment mechanic with the Koch Fertilizer Craft Maintenance Team. According to him, “The biggest thing that I have learned as a full-time employee is the value of building relationships with others that you work with. As an intern I saw so many faces that were completely new to me. The longer I am here the value of building relationships with others allows me to learn and build my capabilities as an employee.”

Expanding internships to make them available to more students would mean a better prepared, more productive workforce. And a win for us all.

Reach out to Enid Regional Development Alliance with your available Summer internships at info@growenid.com.