Episode 3:
Employer Perspectives
Setting employers and interns up for success
The Workforce Understory sat down with Tracie Foglia, Talent Solutions Manager at Hawaiʻi Employers Council, to discuss the role employers play, and what they need to know offer internships that ultimately benefit graduates and businesses.
Programs like HAH’s high school healthcare certifications and MEDB’s STEMworks Innovation Internships are gaining traction, but employers may not know where to start.
reframing internships: From tasks to talent development
There are many myths and misconceptions about what internships are, how they work, and how to best set interns and employers up for success. The following misconceptions are critical to address in order to build a healthy internship program, and ecosystem.
Interns are only for adding capacity.
Interns are not just for filling tasks that a team doesn’t have capacity for. “Task-focused” internship models are less likely to create real value for both employers and interns.
Bad internship experiences can still lead to hires.
Interns who have a poor experience are unlikely to pursue employment within the organization, and may even leave the field altogether. Internships should be intentionally designed to provide high-quality work-based learning.
Interns don’t bring real value to the business.
Interns can help solve real problems with fresh perspectives and skills. Elevating the intern’s role creates value for both the business and the intern.
Internships aren’t worth it.
Internships are an investment. They may require more coaching and training upfront, but when done well, they build long-term capacity and refine operations.
Paid positions are preferable to interns.
It may seem inefficient to invest in someone who will only be with the organization temporarily. However, internships are investments in building a stronger long-term talent pool.
Employers should ask themselves whether they are ready to invest in supervision, capacity, and resources to set both the intern and the organization up for success.
Quality design determines whether internships function as pipeline infrastructure.
building blocks for employer readiness and quality internships
Employers who want internships to succeed must ensure three core conditions are in place.
Capacity
Employers must have the time and organizational space to provide training, coaching, and meaningful work.
Supervision
A dedicated supervisor should provide regular feedback and guidance throughout the internship.
resources
Employers need the financial ability to compensate interns, as well as the facilities and tools necessary for them to contribute meaningfully.
If these building blocks are not available internally, one alternative is to serve as a host site for structured programs like STEMworks Innovation Internships, which provide additional coordination and support.
Internships require structured supervision, organizational capacity, and financial investment. Wage support alone does not create high-quality placements.
employer return on investment (When programs are designed well)
When designed intentionally, internships generate meaningful return for employers.
Employers benefit in several ways:
Keeping local talent: Internships help retain skilled young people in Hawaiʻi by building early connections to local industries.
Skill elevation: Interns contribute fresh ideas and technical capabilities that can strengthen the business.
Building and strengthening the leadership bench: Internships create an opportunity to identify and develop future hires.
Customer loyalty and community advocacy: Investing in young talent strengthens relationships with families, schools, and the broader community.
Internships are investments with long-term workforce payoff — not short-term labor substitutes. Internships function best when positioned as strategic talent development rather than temporary staffing.
The takeaway: how to build Participation at Scale
Employers are more likely to participate when expectations are clear and programs are structured. Employer participation increases when…
Internship roles are thoughtfully designed
Supervision expectations are defined
Administrative complexity is reduced
Support is available through intermediary organizations
Internship participation aligns with long-term talent strategy
roots to canopy
Explore Episode 3
Episode 3: Paid Pathways as Infrastructure
Learn about the paid internship and first job landscape through case studies and employer perspectives.
Healthcare Association of Hawaiʻi Case Study
HAH High School Healthcare Certification Program demonstrates the importance of funding and capacity for placement onboarding and coordination, employer coaching, internship supervision, and tracking outcomes.
MEDB STEMworks Case Study
Maui Economic Development Board STEMworks Program demonstrates scaling requires ecosystem design: early exposure, sector alignment, education partnerships, employer, trust, and place-based coordination.
What we learned and where the data points.
Signals, answers, and questions that can inform policy, research, and strategy moving forward.