I remember reading “Experienced professionals preferred” in ads when I began my first job search years ago, fresh out of college, and wondering whether they were being unrealistic about their requirements. I didn’t have any experience, and I didn’t see how I could have gotten any while working on my degree. After all, that degree was supposed to be the key to getting that first job and acquiring that.

What I didn’t realize was that there were opportunities during my college career to apply for internships in my chosen field and thereby get some of that much-desired work experience. In retrospective, I would have been much more “attractive” to employers if I did. And if you look at today’s job market, you will find that this trend has only grown – and that internships are even more important for students who are graduating and seeking that first job. This is why there is an incresing number of organizations that provide the link between students, colleges and employers, simplifying access to internships all over the country,

One of such organizations, the Internship Institute has created a fresh, forward-looking approach to internships for college students of all majors. They have taken the best of the traditional approaches and added enriching elements in both academic and career development terms. They provide students with more individualized and personalized attention, from placement to counseling, than other similar programs. Students work in a variety of internship settings, including government, health sector, homeless rights, etc., providing them with unique experience in many areas.

The Internship Institute is a program devoted to Managing and Training Students, and providing post-collegiate employment experience to College students, making internships more readily available to them. And since such internships are becoming a graduation requirement in most universities, they are proposing that one half of the tuition paid by college students for their internships be set aside to create internship readiness centers, thereby closing the gap between school and work.

So if you’re a College student and want to improve your job opportunities after you graduate, make sure you check the proposal at their website (http://www.internshipinstitute.org/).