Summer Internship for College Students

This past June, Kloeckner introduced our Summer Internship program. The interns are given broad exposure to Kloeckner while they’re assigned to one core project throughout the summer, they will have ample opportunities for other business exposure assignments in various departments. Watch the video for more information about the launch of our Summer Internship program.

Video Transcript 

We structured our intern program this summer to really give a broad exposure to who Kloeckner is. We know that college students generally don’t necessarily know exactly what they want to do when they graduate. Most of them haven’t been in a traditional corporate business world. They don’t know all the different departments or options, so while our interns may be assigned to one core project throughout the summer, they actually have opportunities for at least one or two business exposure assignments to work in different departments for a period of a couple days or even a couple weeks.

What stood out with Kloeckner was definitely the company culture. When I first came here and interviewed, I felt like I was the most comfortable.

I interviewed at a few other places, and it just didn’t seem like I fit there, or I wasn’t as comfortable.

I felt very welcomed. Like I didn’t feel like I had to be somebody else. That I had to act differently than I would normally act.

The worst internships that people can have are the ones where you’re just getting coffee all day, or you’re sitting by yourself in an office waiting for someone to toss you some administrative task or request. So we worked a lot in advance with the managers to help plan what the work would be for the summer program. What projects did they already have that they could use an intern help for, and how could they think of new projects for those interns?

Getting to experience all the other departments, and add value to those departments as well, not just in the digital department. Getting exposure, working with teams and organization, time management. It kind of forces you to develop those skills.

I enjoy the fact that I know I’m adding value with every project that I do. With every branch that I contact. I know that what I’m working on is actually, you know, going to help the company.

I’ve been doing a lot of work in purchasing. A lot of different projects have been, there’s been something new every day. They’ve been very accepting of me. They’ve been open to my ideas and open to what I have to say about things, even though they’ve got way more experience than I do.

We really wanted to start building great relationships with the universities and future graduates, to help build a pipeline of people who could finish school and actually come and work for us. In addition, they’re able to add a ton of value while they’re here. Bring fresh ideas, new perspectives, and a whole lot of energy and tech savvy to make a big impact on the projects that they have. I’ve been very impressed by our interns. They have been engaged. They have been committed. They have been excited throughout the program, and it’s also been really great to see them build a bond with each other.

After I met all the other interns, I was a lot more comfortable with is. Because now we’re like really good friends now. We all talk all the time.

What makes it better coming into to work all the time, like going to looking forward to lunch and things like that. It just helps you get through the day, you know, when there’s people like you can hang out with and stuff.

I mean there have been times like I went to Darien’s desk just to see what was going on in purchasing, and I learned more than I thought I would. So it’s cool stuff.

When there’s more people around that are kind of like you and going through the same things, it kind of makes you feel a little more comfortable.

I’ve also gotten nothing but good feedback from the managers about what the interns have been able to provide so far during the program. They’ve made a great impact with the departments that they worked in full time, and even the departments that they did business exposure assignments with. They’ve really brought their high energy, their tenacity, and their drive to succeed to the program.

There’s always going to be someone in your corner, and for us, that’s definitely Amanda. She’s definitely been a big help. I know if I have any issues with anything, I could just go to Amanda. She’s been a huge asset, just a good person to talk to, like if you need anything or if you just want to go say hi, she’s the friendliest person you’ll ever meet. That’s definitely a good place to start when you get in, just don’t panic because you don’t know steel. You will learn it. There are people around that are going to help you.

The amount of interest that we’ve had from other departments or even other branches around the country who didn’t host an intern this year, but would like to in the future, was immense. Far more than I expected. I’m excited that we’re going to be able to continue to offer the program to evolve it so that it gets better and better year after year, and to continue to build these relationships with students who are interested in possibly starting a career with us in their future.