Converting Social Work Interns into Employees

The provision of internship opportunities is an important organization responsibility that helps to offer interns with real-life experience and exposure. The real-life experience and exposure play a vital role in preparing the interns to be employees in different companies considering that they gain insights on the realities of the workplace environment. Through the internship programs, the interns may gain vast knowledge, which is necessary to undertake different roles and responsibilities that may qualify them to be fit for employment opportunities in the industry. Although the internship programs have a lot of benefits to the interns, the programs have significant benefits to the employers. Firstly, the internship programs help in creating a skilled labor force without necessarily having to spend a lot of on training programs among the employees. The interns get to learn through experience and without spending much of the company's resources. Secondly, the employers get to save on money, considering that most internships are unpaid while others have a partial compensation strategy.

Background Information 

Cascade Mental Health, is a health agency that has a history of converting the majority of the interns into employees through the implementation of effective strategies that also promotes employee retention. The agency, which has been in existence for more than 50 years, has an internship program that provides individuals studying behavioral health to have real-life exposure and experience. The most interesting aspect concerning the agency is that majority of the interns working within the organization tend to retain their positions and become full-time employees. An analysis of the agency indicates that several of people in the top managerial position begun as interns in the company. The evaluation question guiding the review is, "Why does the internship program at Cascade Mental Health have such a high retention and conversion rate from Intern to Employee." The review will address the key measures that are implemented by the agency to earn high retention and conversion rates from interns to employees.

The first significant reason the internship program at Cascade has a high retention and conversion rate is the ability to provide adequate motivation to the interns. In any workplace environment, motivation is an important aspect that not only helps to improve productivity but also increase retention rates. Cascade has capitalized on the implementation of engagement strategies that help to increase the energy level of the interns undertaking the internship programs. Some of the motivational strategies implemented by the health agency include ensuring that the interns are assigned meaningful work, the establishment of training programs, and provides incentives for undertaking different roles and responsibilities in the organization. It is necessary to note that majority of companies offering internship programs do not provide the interns with meaningful work, which is an aspect that discourages them from working in the given organizations. Additionally, the Cascade Mental Health agency focuses on creating a platform for the interns to demonstrate their strengths in different fields in the organization.

The second significant reason for the high retention of interns and conversion to employees involves the implementation of engagement measures in the organization. In an effective workplace environment, the most important aspect involves the level of engagement between the top management and the employees. For this agency, the interns are considered part of all operations that take place in the organization, which is an aspect that increases their engagement. Engagement in the workplace is an important aspect that makes employees feel passionate about their positions and roles that they engage in the organization. In most organizations that have internship programs, the interns are not considered an important part of the organization thus there are no engagement strategies implemented to make them feel passionate about their roles in the organization. Cascade capitalizes on engaging the interns in various aspects of the organization and provides them with an opportunity to take part in the decision-making process.

Mission and Vision of the Program or Organization 

The agency's main mission entails the provision of encouragement and support to the clients by engaging in the supportive mechanism that enables the patients to live a more satisfying life. The agency engages in different programs that involve providing quality care to the patients seeking mental health services. The agency's main programs include behavioral mental health services, crisis response phone line, and mobile crisis services 24 hours a day, daily. Other programs include substance use disorder programs, case management services, and social support center, among others. To effectively engage in the mentioned programs, the agency capitalizes on the use of the available resources to capitalize on success. It is necessary to note that the agency capitalizes on funding obtained from different avenues such as grants, insurance, and pay from individuals who seek help in the agency. Some of the equipment that enhances effectiveness in the programs undertaken involves the use of the internet and computers to promote success.

Goals and Objectives of the Program 

The internship programs capitalize on ensuring that the interns have the right working conditions, which motivate them to continue working even after the internship is over. According to Rose, Teo, and Connell (2014), the retention of employees and interns reflects the kind of strategies that an organization implements to motivate and engage the employees. I believe that the internship program was successful because of the strategies that purposed to increase engagement. An interesting fact to note is that even the CEO of the company was an intern who later became an employee and gradually attained the topmost position in the organization. In fact, we know that if the CEO was an intern, then it means that he or she can understand different aspects that relate to the internship program. Thus, this helps in the implementation of appropriate measures that help to promote the retention of social work interns in the organization.

Population Served 

The internship program experiences success due to the kind of exposure that the interns get through interacting with patients and the community. The fact that the agency has a customer base of approximately 2000 people helps in bettering the experience of the employees and interns. The monitoring and evaluation of the internship program are enhanced by staff who ensure that the interns engage in the right kind of activities and operations. The success of the internship program can be measured by the rate of social interns' conversion into employees. The agency has a history of conversing the majority of the social work interns into employees, which is a significant aspect that relates to the implementation of effective strategies. The analysis of the issue concerning the significant increase in conversions from interns indicates that the organization has stern measures that focus on the retention of the interns.

Staff Characteristics 

Number of employees in the adult services division: 14

Number of current interns: 3

Number of current interns who are also employees: 1

Total number of employees and interns: 18

Total number of employees that were converted from intern to employee: 9.

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Program 

The ability to capitalize on the effectiveness of operations undertaken within a workplace environment requires the implementation of strategic measures that helps towards meeting the overall objective of an organization. I believe that organizations can capitalize on the use of available resources to help towards engaging in activities that guide toward creating a significant impact. The main objective in different organizations involves the establishment of programs that helps towards promoting both short term and long-term outcomes that are significant for the organization. Today, I will focus on evaluating Cascade Mental Health to identify the resources that are utilized to capitalize on enhancing the achievement of the target goals and objectives. First, it is important to note the fact that Cascade is an agency that has been operational for over 50 years as it engages in the provision of behavioral health in the Lewis County.

The second important aspect of consideration entails the engagement in different activities that help to promote the quality of services provided in the organization. The main activities include crisis services, a master's level therapy, group therapy, and internship programs. The internship program is one of the most successful and significant programs that helps in promoting the reputation of the agency. Cascade engages in the implementation of Bachelor and Masters level internship programs for individuals that engage in studying various courses relating to behavioral health. The program's primary objective entails the provision of an opportunity for the interns to have real-life experiences. The programs expose interns in an environment where they handle patients with a wide range of issues regarding mental health. The agency equips the interns with adequate knowledge regarding approaches that may be necessary to obtain a positive impact based on the kind of services offered.

The major outcomes associated with an effective internship program entails the development of a skilled workforce that helps to increase the overall productivity of an organization. Rose, Teo, and Connell (2014) maintain that for an organization to experience success in an internship program, it is necessary to build on positive relations that enable the interns to feel like part of the organization. Some of the successful measures implemented by the agency to promote effectiveness in the program involve the use of engagement and motivation strategies that helps to boost the satisfaction levels of the interns. The connection created between the interns, employees, and the management helps to promote success in the internship program. I believe that the program evaluation provides insights into how programs should be undertaken in a bid to achieve the expected level of success.

Research Question 

Why does Cascade Mental Health have success in converting interns to employees?

I plan on using a qualitative research method with one-on-one interviews with supervisors, current employees who were previous interns, and current interns. I feel that the strengths of this proposal is this type of research method is not only about what the cumulative employees (supervisors, employees and interns) are thinking but also why they are thinking the way they are. Qualitative research methods allow for further in depth research to understand motivation and feelings. Conducting the one-on-one personal interview in a conversational method invites opportunities to get in-depth from the employees. The advantage to this method is it is a great opportunity to gather precise data about what peoples motivations are. The value for the Cascade Mental Health agency is that in can help to concretely pinpoint ways the agency is succeeding in converting and retaining its interns based on individual experiences and beliefs. In turn, this research can help to further the successes in this rate of conversion and retention. The limitations to qualitative research are that it can be a time-consuming process. Additionally, open ended answers can be considered subjective. Qualitative research typically not statistically representative because the responses are not measured. The one caveat to this agency is what can be measured is the number of employees that have been converted and retained.

Literature Review 

Interns and employees have a significant role in promoting the overall productivity of an organization. In that case, focusing on measures to improve on individual productivity and satisfaction help to increase the retention rates. Hurst, Good and Gardner (2011) maintain that the conversion of interns into employees requires an organization to focus on the implementation of strategies that ensures that the interns are interested to continue working in the organization. The argument presented by the author is based on a study conducted in different organizations, where the researcher samples different views from interns that worked in different companies. According to the findings obtained from the study, the majority of the interns that experienced a high level of motivation during their internship ended up getting employment opportunities in the organizations. On the contrary, the interns who experienced low motivation and engagement in the company did not accept employment offers that came from the companies. Hurst, Good and Gardner (2011) concluded that motivation and engagement play a vital role in the conversion of interns to employees.

According to Knouse, Tanner and Harris (1999) satisfaction in the workplace is a vital aspect that helps to improve the conversion rates of interns to employees and helps to increase retention. Satisfaction is an important aspect that entails the fulfillment of an individual's desires and needs, which is an aspect that results from creating a conformable environment. A correlation study conducted by the researcher indicated that satisfaction in the workplace plays a significant role in creating a competitive advantage, where a company can retain employees despite external forces such as salary and wages increment in rival companies (Knouse, Tanner & Harris, 1999). The study focused on examining the key aspects that promoted satisfaction among the interns and the employees and evaluate the impact of satisfaction in defining conversion rates of the interns into employees. The findings in the study indicate that the key aspect of satisfaction in the workplace involves the provision of proper compensation and incentive. The interns who receive compensation during their internship programs tend to be retained by the company and are converted into employees, while the majority of the unsatisfied ones turned away the offer to continue working as employees.

Training of the employees and interns in an important aspect that helps to increase their individual knowledge regarding various aspects of the workplace. Rose, Teo, and Connell (2014) maintain that training in internship programs plays an important role in increasing the conversion rates of interns to employees. The researcher engaged in a study that targeted various internship programs to examine the impact of training in retaining interns. In the findings, the researcher discovered that training the interns is an important strategy that helps to engage them in a long-term engagement. The most important aspect to consider in this case is that companies invest much of the resources in training the interns thus considers it as an investment. According to Rose, Teo and Connell (2014), approximately 90% of the companies that offer interns with training ended up creating an opportunity for them to work in the organization. The organization considers the fact that the knowledge and skills gained in the training programs may help in increasing the overall productivity of an organization. Additionally, it is important to note that the acquired knowledge obtained during the internship programs may be used by other companies to earn a competitive advantage in the industry.

Zhao, and Liden, (2011) state that if interns and organizations have intentions to be recruited or recruit, they will always tend to the other party in their course of internship. The authors focus on the aspect of inspiration as a key element that helps to improve the relationship between the interns and the top management. In the workplace, motivation is an important aspect that involves recognition and acknowledgment of the efforts made by the employees when undertaking their roles and responsibilities in an organization (Knouse, Tanner & Harris, 1999). The researcher focused on studying the relationship between appreciation of the interns and the rate of retention. The most significant aspect of consideration on matters concerning appreciating the interns is that most internships are unpaid. To motivate the interns, recognition of their efforts plays a major role in improving their individual productivity and helps to increase the retention rates. Therefore, most interns who receive recognition and acknowledgment tend to increase their level of productivity, which creates a major benefit in the company (Zhao, & Liden, 2011). It becomes difficult for the company to let them off after the internship program.

The ability to increase on the conversion rates of interns into employees is determined by the strategies and measures implemented by different organizations. Kossivi, Xu, & Kalgora (2016) mention that the ability to identify individual talents and abilities helps in promoting the retention rates of employees. The internship programs should have a qualified and experienced workforce that has the ability to identify the talents and strengths of the interns, so as to develop strategies that help in nurturing the strengths for individual and organizational benefit. An organization with effective strategies to nurture employees have a high retention rate thus the ability to convert interns into employees. Mikkelsen, Jacobsen, & Andersen (2017) maintain that it is the mandate of an organization to ensure that employees experience high levels of motivation and satisfaction by focusing on the implementation of strategies and measures to engage the employees.

Another significant aspect that helps to increase on the motivation and engagement of employees involves having leaders and not bosses. Polman & Bhattacharya (2016) argue that leaders have a significant role of impacting employees through effective interactions and engagement. However, an organization with bossy leaders tend to experience challenges in retaining employee and thus experiencing failure in the internship program that targets to retain interns and convert them to employees. Quartern (2019) mentions that create healthy competition in an organization plays a vital role in motivating the interns to be more competitive. In the internship program, the interns tend to use their knowledge and skills to increase their individual level of productivity thus engaging in healthy competition. Although the individual skills and strengths are significant in employee retention, the organizational strategies and measures play a significant role in promoting the conversion rate of the interns into employees. Chen, Shen, & Gosling (2018) address the fact that the establishment of proper working conditions in an organization helps to increases on satisfaction considering that the employees and interns can address different issues that affect productivity.

Evaluation Design 

Evaluation Design and Procedures 

The study on the rate of conversion of social work interns into employees plays a significant role in analyzing and evaluating a wide range of information. The evaluation design in this case will focus on addressing different factors that relate to the ability of the organization to convert social interns into employees. The first important aspect that is necessary in this case relates to the ability to collect a sample population that may provide valid and reliable information regarding the study. The selection of a sample population in a study is important as it helps to obtain firsthand information regarding the study (Abildgaard, Saksvik, & Niesen, 2019). For the study regarding the conversion of the social interns into social workers, it is important to focus on understanding factors that promote or hinders effectiveness in increasing the conversion rate. The selection of an appropriate sample population may help in ensuring that the study methods select are appropriate as they guide towards the achievement of the research goals and objectives.

Sample 

The sample population selected for this study will involve approximately 100 people who will provide information relating to factors that promote high rates of conversion of interns to employees. The sample population will include employees and interns from different organizations who have firsthand information regarding different measures that are implemented in different organizations in a bid to promote the conversion of interns into employees. Considering the strategies implemented to select the sample population for the study, the findings obtain will act as a representation of the entire population. In that case, the information will be a reflection of the actual state in the society regarding the impact of organizational measures and strategies put in place to convert social interns into employees. Additionally, the findings obtained may enable the researcher to draw conclusions and make recommendations that may enable an organization to retain interns and convert them to employees.

Data Collection Methods 

As part of the evaluation design, the study will focus on the implementation of data collection methods that will provide the information required for the effective completion of the research. Considering that the study involves human subjects, it is important to focus on the implementation of data collection methods that capitalizes on the confidentiality of information, as well as promote reliability and unbiased information. The most significant data collection method that will be applicable in the study involves the use of surveys. The use of surveys in data collection is important as it involves designing survey questions for the participants selected. The selected sample population undertakes the survey questions and provides the most appropriate and reliable information. In this study, the survey question will focus on addressing factors that relate to the role of organizational objectives in promoting a high conversion rate of the social interns into employees. The questions will rely on individual experiences, thoughts, and beliefs that relate to factors that promote retention of the interns and employees in an organization.

Another significant data collection method that will be applicable in this case involves the use of interviews. The interviews will target individuals that started working as interns and ended up as employees of a company. The interview questions will address factors that promote or discourage retention of the employees and outline organizational measures that may help to promote positive interactions in an organization. The research instrument used in this case will include the questionnaires that will be administered when undertaking the surveys and in the interviews. To capitalize on the effective study, the research instruments much be valid and reliable thus the ability to promote efficiency. The validity and reliability of the research instruments can be evaluated using different techniques that serve to define the content addressed and the objective of each research instrument. It is important to note that the research method and instruments used in this case may be effective in the obtaining required information considering that they have been used in such as a sample population in other researches.

Data Analyses 

Data analysis is a significant aspect of research as it involves organizing data into more meaningful and relevant information that can be used in making effective decisions. In the study focusing on factors that impact on the ability of an organization to retain social interns and convert them into employees requires the use of effective data analysis techniques. Engaging in a proper analysis would mean that the results obtained from the study can be used to make meaningful conclusions. The main aspect of consideration when engaging in data analysis involves focusing on whether the data obtain relates to the questions asked and whether there is important information that can be derived from the data collected. Considering the data collection methods and techniques used in the study, it is important to focus on the implementation of different data analysis methods to help in promoting reliability and of the information collected.

In data analysis, the selection of data analysis tools makes it easy to engage in the process. The data analysis tools play an effective role in processing and manipulating the collected data into meaningful information. The data analysis tools act as the basis for data interpretation, which is also a significant aspect of any given study. In this case, the study will require the use of data analysis methods that helps to manipulate data concerning the conversion rates of social interns into employees. The first significant data analysis method that will be applied in this case is content analysis. The selection of the analysis technique is based on the kind of data collection methods used in the study. Content analysis is an appropriate data analysis method that focuses on examining qualitative data to determine whether there is any form of biases (Abildgaard, Saksvik, & Nielsen, 2019). The analysis method in this case helps in drawing conclusions relating to the fact that most organizations engage in different kinds of measures that help to promote employee retention in an organization.

The second significant data analysis technique used is the narrative method, which focuses on analyzing information from obtained from various sources such as interviews and surveys. The analysis technique in this case is significant as it helps in eliminating information that may not be relevant in this case and helps in ensuring that the researcher can make conclusions regarding the study. The narrative data analysis technique helps in defining the role of top management in an organization in ensuring that the employees are retained and that the social work interns are converted into employees following the completion of the internship programs. The analysis technique may help to obtain facts as well as understand different kinds of problems that are experienced by organizations in trying to retain employees and in the process of establishing good relations with the interns.

The data collected in this case may have a lot of unreliable information, which may have a significant impact on the quality of the study. The fact that the data collection methods used rely on the perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes of people in the society requires an analysis technique that may distinguish fact from fiction in a bid to promote the reliability of data. It is important to note that the information obtained in the study may be necessary for making relevant conclusions regarding was of increasing the rate of conversion of the interns into employees. The employees are an important part of an organization, thus the need to have information that may help in retaining them for effective growth and development. The information collected may be used by the organizations to better their engagement with employees and interns, which is a significant aspect of program development.

Conclusion 

Converting social work interns into employees is an important aspect that requires proper implementation of strategies and techniques that allows the interns to get the adequate motivation to work in the organization even after internship. The internship programs help in creating a skilled labor force without necessarily having to spend a lot of on training programs among the employees. The first significant reason the internship program at Cascade has a high retention and conversion rate is the ability to provide adequate motivation to the interns. The internship program experiences success due to the kind of exposure that the interns get through interacting with patients and the community. The study on the rate of conversion of social work interns into employees plays a significant role in analyzing and evaluating a wide range of information. The main struggle that may be experienced in the study involves provision of biased information. However, it is important to focus on the implementation of analysis measures that helps to deal with all the uncertainties experienced in a study.

References 

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Zhao, H. & Liden, R. C. (2011). Internship: A recruitment and selection perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96 (1), 221-229.