EDGE Internship Frequently Asked Questions

Students must complete internship by June 30, 2012.Full Summer

(07/01/2012-09/30/2012) Internships are not available.

EDGE Partners have dollars available to support paid internships at local industrial biotechnology/biofuels companies.  There is absolutely no cost to the company, and a third party provider will handle all payroll and HR functions. We are seeking companies to provide work experiences to pre-indentified or pre-screened interns who will enter your organization with advanced knowledge about the industrial biotechnology/biofuels industry.

Hiring an intern from the EDGE Initiative will benefit your company’s recruitment and workforce efforts long into the future. Below are some frequently asked questions that may help in you in your decision to hire and EDGE intern.

1) How can I participate in the EDGE Internship Program?

Hire an intern without putting the intern on your payroll. Intern will bepaid by a third party

contractor managed by the BIOCOM Institute, eliminating payroll processing for employers.

2) What does hosting an intern involve?

The BIOCOM Institute has created aprogram that is turn-key – practically everything will be done

for you.

a) Hosting an intern means that you will provide training for an intern at your organization, at no

cost to you.

b) All administrative payroll costs including state & federal taxes, workers compensation, etc. are

covered by the EDGE Initiative. For your convenience, interns will be paid by a third party

contractor managed by BIOCOM Institute, eliminating payroll processing for companies who

host interns.

c) Companies can pre-indentify interns or the BIOCOM Institute can provide staff support to

recruit, screen, match and prepare each intern for employers to interview and select for hire.

d) The BIOCOM Institute will be available to provide interns with on going job coaching and

support to employers as needed during the summer.

3) What qualifications do the interns have?

You will decide what qualifications are required for your company’s internship program. The only

qualifications the EDGE Initiative has is that the interns must be at least 18 years of age and are

required to take the online Industrial Biotechnology Immersion Program.

4) What is the time frame of the internship program? When can they work?

Intern placements begin in July 2011 and continue until June 2011. As a host company, you

determine start and end dates at your convenience.

5) How many hours/weeks will theinterns work?

Interns will work full time for either four or eight weeks, depending on the rate of pay you select.

You can elect to have the interns paid $10/hr for an eight week period, or $20/hr for a four week

period. Interns can work additional hours if the employer wishes to hire them at the end of

the program.

6) What type of work readinesstraining will interns receive?

All interns will be required to complete the Industrial Biotechnology Immersion Program. This online

certificate course uses industry driven curriculum to give individuals the business acumen to successfully transition into and move up the career ladder in industrial biotechnology and biofuels careers. Graduates from this program will be knowledgeable about the industrial business environment and the reality of work in multi-disciplinary project teams to meet business goals. Time commitment is approximately eighthours per week for four weeks.

7) How will interns get to work?

Interns will use their own method of transportation, including public transit. Interns needing

additional assistance will be issued a transit pass on a first come, first served basis.

8) What is expected of me as a supervisor?

We ask employers to provide a safe and structured worksite that provides interns with real job

skills training. We can assist with developing a training plan that outlines the job duties and

expectations for the intern.

9) Are the interns available for hire after their internships?

Yes, many of our interns are youn adults for whom this is an excellent introduction to a career.

Hiring the intern after his/her internship is not only possible, it’s strongly encouraged.

We encourage companies to start the application process today.

Please contact:

Karen Overklift

Associate Director of Outreach and Enrollment

858-455-0300 x 104 or koverklift@biocom.org

GRANT FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM IS CLOSE!

The EDGE initiative is public-private partnership that includes: CleanTECH San Diego, BIOCOM, BIOCOM Institute, San Diego Regional EDC, Imperial Valley EDC, San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology, UCSD Extension, San Diego State University, San Diego Workforce Partnership, and MiraCosta College.