As the school terms winds down and students sit examinations, businesses should now be considering how they will meaningfully engage high school and college students as interns and temporary employees.

Summer students and interns can be valuable resources, and their projects can benefit your company while providing them with valuable experience. To maximise their contributions, consider assigning them tasks that involve research, data analysis, content creation, administrative support and project management. Encourage them to learn new skills, participate in team meetings and engage in professional development activities.

This week’s column gives suggestions to the business community on ways that students can add value to the workspace while gaining knowledge and experience that will help them in the future. Here are the top recommendations:

* Conduct market research: Interns can research competitors, identify market trends and analyse customer data.

* Develop support materials: They can create presentations, guides or other resources for internal or external use.

* Research and plan new projects: Interns can contribute to brainstorming and planning for new initiatives.

* Manage social media accounts: They can assist with content creation, scheduling and engagement.

* Organise tags and meta descriptions: Interns can optimise website content for search engines.

* Organise and maintain databases: They can help with data entry, cleaning and organisation.

* Create presentations and reports: Interns can compile data and create visually appealing presentations.

* Assist with event planning: They can help with logistics, marketing and on-site support.

* Manage company blog: Interns can write, edit and publish blog posts.

* Attend team meetings: Interns can observe and learn from team discussions and decision-making processes.

* Participate in professional development: They can attend workshops, take online courses or seek mentorship.

* Complete additional training: Interns can gain new skills by taking courses or attending webinars.

* Shadowing: They can spend time with different team members to learn about various roles and responsibilities.

* Create clear onboarding plans: Ensure interns understand their roles, responsibilities and expectations.

* Provide regular feedback: Regular check-ins and feedback will help interns stay on track and improve their performance.

* Encourage networking: Interns can build relationships with colleagues and other professionals in the industry.

* End the internship with an opportunity to share projects: Interns can showcase their work and gain valuable recognition. 

• NB: Ian R Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organisations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@ coralwave.com.