Why Consider Hiring Teen Interns?

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Hiring teen interns can seem like a bad idea for your company, considering the time and resources you will need to train them. However, it is the best way to help teens upskill and comes with numerous perks for your business. As an HR contemplating whether to include high school interns in your internship program, here are the benefits of having teen interns in your company.

1. Teen Interns Understand Tech

One of the significant advantages of hiring teen interns is access to a tech-savvy team. Teen interns belong to the younger generation that has grown with technology and are familiar with how it works. They can easily handle tech-related and repetitive tasks, allowing your employees to focus on more critical aspects of their jobs.

Some high school teens go through technical training programs that teach valuable programming and computer skills crucial for a tech-oriented workplace. They can help with tasks like troubleshooting and help desk support in the IT department. With a tech-savvy team, you enjoy a brilliant talent pool in your business, enhance efficiency and improve productivity in the long term.

2. They Are Trainable and Eager to Learn

When teens come to your business looking for an internship, they come with the desire to gain practical work knowledge and practical work experience. As an HR professional, the trainability and eagerness to learn lessens the time and effort for teaching interns. Some high schools have programs to prepare students for their corporate internships. Therefore, you won’t have to train them on professional skills like communication and time management.

Teen interns are highly flexible and can adjust seamlessness to your company culture and needs. They are also more open to feedback and constructive criticism, which makes them excellent learners. Since most teens don’t have a fixated career path, they are open to learning the various aspects of business and can fit anywhere in your company.

3. They Bring Workplace Diversity

One of the best ways to diversify your workplace is by hiring teen interns. They bring a breath of fresh air into your company as they come with fresh ideas and new ways of doing things. Since they belong to a younger generation, they can help you appeal more to the younger audience. You also gain by learning how to deal with the younger generation.

Also, having teens in your team boosts your company’s energy. It may also be a source of motivation to existing employees who take pride in training the new entrants into the company. Lastly, diversity helps fight discrimination in the workplace and fosters inclusivity. It also encourages creativity and progressive company culture.

4. Workforce Development

Hiring teen interns is an excellent way to develop your current and future workforce. Teen interns have the potential of becoming your future employees. They can start as interns and part-time workers and end up as full-time employees after school.  You will have a ready pool of talent that understands your business processes, and you won’t have to train when opportunities arise.

Hiring teen interns helps you understand your future workplace demands. For example, when you assign new tasks to a teen intern, the resources they use to accomplish them can give you insights into your future worker’s needs and the skills they will need to perform exceptionally in their roles. As the HR, it helps you plan adequately for future hires. By using teen internships as tests for specific skills, you avoid wrong hires and improve the overall quality of your staff.

5. They Foster Valuable Partnerships

When you have an internship program in your company, you create valuable partnerships with the school and community at large. As you help teens upskill, you also support their schools in preparing them for college and other endeavors.  When you create opportunities for teens to learn and add value to their skills, you market your brand as more students, parents, and teachers learn about your company from the interns.

Also, hiring teen interns and giving them the best environment to thrive puts your business in good light and paints you as a good employer. Good company image opens more growth opportunities for your business. With good relationships with local schools and the community, you can create a continuous stream of brilliant talent that will help fulfill your future hiring needs.

6. They Are Cost-Effective

Interns don’t require a lot in terms of salaries and benefits as they are not full-time employees. You can get away with paying a minimum wage for about six weeks to interns, which is cost-effective considering the value they bring to your company. Some internship programs are unpaid, and students are willing to volunteer or join your company for work experience and exposure.

Although some interns can work for exposure, paying interns gives you access to a higher quality team. It also improves retention rates in your company. What’s more, you won’t have to spend time and money on external recruitment when you can absorb your previous teen hires into your company.

With the above benefits, hiring teen interns is best for your company as you help teens upskill while boosting your brand image and enriching your current and future workforce.

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