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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; When Maureen Ciliberto was an intern &#8220;back in the day,&#8221; fetching coffee was one of the duties.</p><p>&#8220;I was able to observe a lot, but I was more like extra help,&#8221; said Ciliberto, career services coordinator at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. &#8220;Back then, there were no real guidelines (for internships).&#8221;</p><p>Internships have changed significantly since then, she said, and a recent program sponsored by Penn State Wilkes-Barre, Penn State Career Services, and the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce helped to bring area business leaders up to speed.</p><p>Representatives from about two dozen businesses attended &#8220;The Ins &amp; Outs of Internships&#8221; held Wednesday at the Wilkes-Barre THINK Center on South Main Street to learn more about the benefits and challenges of providing real-world experience to college students. Other chamber members were able to view the discussion remotely via a live stream.</p><p>The panel discussion included Ciliberto, Joseph Boylan, vice president of economic development at the chamber; Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton&#8217;s Small Business Development Center; Theresa Celemente, a business instructor and internship coordinator at Penn State Wilkes-Barre; and Carl Witkowski, chief operating officer and executive vice president of Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies.</p><p>Susan Chappell, employer engagement coordinator at Penn State University, served as moderator.</p><p>Boylan said the first-ever, free event was a continuation of the chamber&#8217;s new focus &#8212; connecting the local business community with college students.</p><p>&#8220;When we talk to our members, this topic constantly comes up,&#8221; said Boylan. &#8220;Academic institutions are looking to place students (in internships). Rather than losing interns to outside (of the area) companies, there is a tremendous opportunity here.&#8221;</p><p>Some of the topics discussed included how to start an internship program, best practices of internships, and what an internship actually entails.</p><p>There is a misconception that an internship is &#8220;free labor,&#8221; Ciliberto said.</p><p>&#8220;If a student is performing real work, they really should be getting paid,&#8221; she said. &#8220;An intern can&#8217;t displace an employee and can&#8217;t be extra help, or else that violates the Department of Labor law.&#8221;</p><p>The Fair Labor Standards Act outlines the requirements for paid and unpaid interns. According to the law, unpaid internships cannot result in a financial benefit to a for-profit company &#8211; the &#8220;experience is for the benefit of the intern.&#8221;</p><p>Chuck Kemzura, TSS director at Children&#8217;s Behavioral Health Services Inc., said the company does have an internship program, but it is looking to expand its offerings.</p><p>He recognizes the importance of getting real-world experience as a college student. His own interning experience helped solidify his career choice.</p><p>&#8220;I was an intern in the human services field, but I worked with adults,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I realized that helping the kiddos was more important (to me).&#8221;</p><p>Brooke Bishop, human resources coordinator at Pepperjam, also knows firsthand the benefit of internships; she was hired full time at Pepperjam shortly after her own stint as an intern. &#8220;Now I&#8217;m the head of the internship program there,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Panelists discussed organizations that help businesses build internship programs. Hall Zielinski said it&#8217;s just as important for businesses to be prepared to begin the program as it is for students.</p><p>&#8220;Students have the career services centers at their schools,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Businesses need to make sure they have the equipment, facilities, resources and time (to handle interns).&#8221;</p><p>In a recent chamber survey, 78 percent of businesses expressed interest in working with area colleges, but only half of those had internship programs in place, Boylan said.</p><p>He also said businesses need to build their brands in order to attract intern applicants.</p><p>&#8220;At Pepperjam, 90 percent of interns are hired full time,&#8221; he said. &#8220;In a classroom at King&#8217;s (College), I asked students who&#8217;s heard of Pepperjam, and no one raised their hand. We need to introduce students to our entrepreneurial and start-up community.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Carl Witkowski, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance in Wilkes-Barre, participated in &#8216;The Ins and Outs of Internships&#8217; panel discussion presented by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Penn State Career Services at the Wilkes-Barre THINK Center on Wednesday. Looking on is Theresa Clemente, business instructor and internship coordinator at Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_internship01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Carl Witkowski, CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance in Wilkes-Barre, participated in &#8216;The Ins and Outs of Internships&#8217; panel discussion presented by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Penn State Career Services at the Wilkes-Barre THINK Center on Wednesday. Looking on is Theresa Clemente, business instructor and internship coordinator at Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_internship03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Susan Chappell, employer engagement coordinator at Penn State University, moderates &#8216;The Ins and Outs of Internships&#8217; panel discussion presented Wednesday by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Penn State Career Services at the Wilkes-Barre THINK Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_internship03.jpg</photo1><caption1>Susan Chappell, employer engagement coordinator at Penn State University, moderates &#8216;The Ins and Outs of Internships&#8217; panel discussion presented Wednesday by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, Penn State Wilkes-Barre and Penn State Career Services at the Wilkes-Barre THINK Center. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Sarah Hite Hando</p><p>shando@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Sarah Hite Hando at 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Area business leaders learn ‘ins and outs’ of internships