FINDLAY, Ohio — Internships continue to be one of the most important ways for students to figure out what they want to do and gain experience. But nearly a year into the pandemic, what they look like has changed for some companies.
Just a year ago, most of our interactions and conversations were done in person, face to face. But fast forward and much of how we talk to each other now, whether it be for our jobs or for school, happens on our screens.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation is an international energy company, headquartered in Findlay. They've been offering internships for decades, recruiting from nearby schools like Bowling Green State University and the University of Findlay.
"It's the core of our workforce," said Rashadd Humes, a recruiter with Marathon. "It's the future of our workforce."
Marathon offers positions in everything from marketing and communication to engineering and supply chain. Humes said more of the corporate positions went remote, while the hands-on positions stayed in person with safety measures.
"We assessed the information to say well what internships and co-ops do we need have work from home," he added, "and who needs to stay and still work hands-on."
Humes says the company values interns so much that it never stopped its programs. But they did implement safety measures like masks for those working in person, strategic scheduling to assure social distancing and increased sanitizing.
Miarri Phillips, a sophomore at Bowling Green State University, had two internships in the past year. The first was fully remote with a non-profit.
"It was a different experience and it was my first internship," she said, "but being able to work on my own time from the comfort of my home was very convenient."
She also had the opposite experience, working in-person on the management side Wegman's grocery chain, observing the leadership. She says companies looking for interns need to pivot to provide both options of learning.
"Looking at post pandemic this is definitely an adjustment that most companies should really try to do," she said.
Because screen or in person, the internship experience is still priceless. Phillips added that many internships were delayed or cancelled due to COVID. But she has noticed many more opportunities coming back for the summer and fall semesters.