|
Internships:
An Under-utilized Maintenance
Resource
By Joel
A. Leonard
Internships can be
invaluable tools for maintenance to prepare for the next millennium. Below
are just a few of the new contribution internships are providing many
maintenance and engineering departments.
What can interns do for
maintenance?
- Help introduce new
technology
- Help elevate image
from cost center to a profit center
- Help maintenance do
more with less resources
- Help companies comply
with regulatory requirements
- Help implement ISO
9000 programs
- Increase business
profitability
- Prepare facility for
Y2k
- Infuse new energy and
enthusiasm into your department
How you ask?
Interns can help-
- implement CMMS
programs
- organize the
maintenance department
- document equipment
history
- organize spare parts
inventory
- implement bar-code
system
- perform product
research matrixes for future capital purchases
- identify new
maintenance resources on the Internet
- perform Internet
research
- recruit skilled
maintenance personnel
- provide documentation
for maintenance training program
- justify removal of
unproductive equipment
- conduct some of the
Y2k audits and tests
How can you afford an
intern?
Many interns will work
for just college credit and work experience. College students know that
their future is brighter if their resume has solid work credentials and
business references. Many colleges provide 4 hours college credit in
exchange for 160 work hours.
Who will work with them?
Many seasoned craftsmen
would like to perform a role in management. Before promoting a maintenance
craftsman with no supervisory experience to Management provide them an
opportunity to gain some leadership by allowing them to develop your
internship program.
Tips on how to maximize
maintenance intern program:
- Don't just focus on
engineering students. Recruit English, History Majors and liberal arts
majors. They are often overlooked resources. They are great at
developing newsletters, research and elevating image of maintenance.
- View them as business
advisors not go-fers
- Be flexible-- an
extra 12-20 hours/ per week can help
- Give them projects on
the Internet- where they work in their dorm room
- Let them surprise
you-- they can come up with some creative solutions
- To create a perpetual
intern program- require each student to recruit and train their
replacements
- Develop good
relationships with local college professors and Director of College
internships.
We
appreciate that you visit our
sponsors and advertisers.
They make it possible for
us to keep this service
up to date for you.
|