ISU Career Pathway program guides students into desired fields of work
It’s been a one-of-a-kind pathway to success for a decade-and-a-half.
Since its establishment in 2010, the Idaho State University‘s Career Path Internship (CPI) program has helped guide thousands of ISU students into real-world employment opportunities, many leading to lasting careers.
“During the course of the 15 years of the program, we’ve been able to set up more than 12,000 internships,” said Emily Jahsman, associate director of the ISU Career Center. “I have not been able to find a program of its size, or one that is similar and run by any other university in the U.S.”
Under the direction of former ISU President Arthur Vailas, who led the campus from 2006 to 2018, the program evolved from a straightforward need to simply provide students with valuable hands-on work experience prior to obtaining a college degree.
“The program was set up to bridge that gap,” said Jahsman, who has spent the past decade helping to guide ISU students, the last four years in her current role helping to oversee the campus career center.
Emily Jahsman
“The idea behind it was to give students real world experience to help them stand out afterwards with their resumes and with the professional connections they’ve made.”
Internships are open to all majors and schools within the ISU system, with an array of opportunities available both on and off campus. Over the life of the program, ISU has partnered with 300-plus community organizations in its quest to provide aspiring interns valuable career-enhancing experiences.
Better yet, all interns are paid for their performance.
“We’ve seen it throughout the entire 15 years that our participants have a 13% higher retention rate than non-participants at ISU,” she said. “Plus, it’s also so student-centered, and they’re our No. 1 priority. So, to be able to provide those opportunities, is a big piece.”
In celebration of the program’s 15th anniversary, many former interns have shared how their career path evolved thanks in part to a CPI opportunity, valuable feedback utilized to help keep the program moving forward.
“With feedback from students, we know they are more engaged with their programs because they can see the real-world applications,” Jahsman said. “These are really impactful opportunities and it takes a while to get the full effect of what these internships can do for our students. And they won’t know until they can look back and reflect.”
Christopher Rigby
Christopher Rigby
In 2016, Christopher Rigby, an economics major, landed a spot with The Borgen Project, a nonprofit agency that works to help eradicate poverty through international programs.
His ultimate goal at the time was to become a foreign service officer with the U.S. State Department. Having already lived and worked abroad, Rigby’s CPI opportunity helped pave the way to a subsequent graduate school internship at a U.S. embassy in Uganda.
“This internship provided my first exposure to the government side of foreign development,” Rigby said. “It taught me how to engage with government officials on issues related to diplomacy, national security and economic development.”
Kayla Fielder
Kayla Fielder
For finance major Kayla Fielder, an internship at the ISU Institute of Rural Health in 2018 added up nicely on her way to landing a full-time, permanent position with the agency. Eight years later, she is overseeing multiple grants for the group.
“During my time, I learned so much about ISU’s inner workings,” she said. “Most of the tasks I was given not only helped me build a robust professional resume and boost my experience with different types of tasks, but I used many of those same skills in my personal life in terms of budgeting, shopping within that budget, networking and more.”
A key element of the CPI program at ISU is how it is structured to help provide a balanced or “well-rounded” experience. Students learn the essence of time management, commitment, responsibility, all while prioritizing and maintaining their academics.
“We have both faculty and off-campus supervisors overseeing the interns, so we make sure they are students first, interns second,” Jahsman said.
Since its inception, the program has grown wildly, from an initial budget of $250,000 annually, to roughly $2.1 million today. And what started with roughly 300 students, has now increased to an average of 800-900 interns annually.
Internships typically last from one to two semesters, with a weekly 20-hour maximum. From small businesses to large corporations, 30% of all opportunities are completed off campus.
“Overall, we have more requests for internships than we are able to fund,” Jahsman said. “But we certainly understand the value of other off-campus internships and the special connections students can attain from those opportunities.”
Even with a lingering cloud of state budget cuts now impacting Idaho’s institutions of higher learning.
“There are definitely more students seeking internships than what is available,” she said. “But I also believe providing 800 or more internships a year is a pretty amazing feat for us to undertake.”
Prospective employers can freely reach out and contact the university to potentially set up an internship opportunity. However, not every business that requests an intern will automatically receive one.
Beyond carrying liability insurance and meeting other requirements, those seeking workers, Jahsman pointed out, must already employ a “skilled and knowledgeable” individual in a particular field of study to secure an intern.
“For example, we may get a request for a social media manager from a group that knows nothing about social media,” she said cheerfully. “But because it is so student-centered, and they’re our number one priority, we just politely share that a mentor aspect is fully required.”
Once an internship is officially established, it becomes a rather straightforward process for both the intern and the employer.
“When an intern is hired directly after they graduate, going down the pipeline, it’s great for organizations because they can kind of try before they buy to see what a potential employee will be like,” Jahsman said. “If it doesn’t work out, then there is a natural ending period.”
Esmeralda Garcia
Esmeralda Garcia
Like many first-generation students, Esmeralda Garcia had her doubts about her abilities to achieve success in both the classroom and in life in 2023. But with an unwavering desire to succeed, she began not one, but two internships on the pathway to a counseling degree.
Garica secured one hands-on opportunity in the area of community and public health, and the other as a member of the ISU Career Center. She referred to the dual internship as “nothing short of a blessing” for both her academic career and her professional development.
“At the start of both academic paths, I needed a welcoming space to help me not only grow in my skills and professionalism, but also to help remind me that I am wholly capable of success,” she said. “The connections I gained under CPI have helped improve my confidence, skill set and networking.”
Stories like Garcia’s and the others typically lead fellow university officials at other schools to inquire about ISU’s “secret to success,” often seeking to discover how their institution can replicate this valuable program.
“I don’t want to say our program is a hidden gem, but it’s an incredible program that so many people we talk to in higher education want to know how we do this so successfully,” Jahsman said. “There are other programs, like paid internships through the private sector, but we’ve been recognized for being such an innovative program by the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education.”
Between funding, internship requirements and other factors, Jahsman believes it’s incumbent on each school to find what can make a program like this work for its campus and unique student population.
“Not everyone always agrees on things, but I believe this program benefits all the constituents, everyone who works on it or is connected to it. The fact that we are here for students is why it is such an impactful program for students. We work with so many on and off-campus groups to get these internships to happen.”
And there is also high value in keeping Idaho’s homegrown students learning and working in the Gem State for decades to come.
“We have a unique student population in southeastern Idaho, and a lot want to stay in state and close to their families,” Jahsman said. “This program is a great way to help them be prepared and selected for jobs to help them do that.”
For a program that initially began without a single full-time position dedicated to it, and with no brochures or policies in place, one aspect is clear: It’s imperative to keep interns focused on pursuing learning while providing real-world work opportunities.
“The students, the program, ISU as a whole, our partners, it’s a win-win, and there is value for all involved,” she said.