Student Assistant, Internship Program

Cal Poly Partners; United States; On-site; USD 21,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Cal Poly Partners seeks a Student Assistant for Internship Programs to design and deliver a comprehensive internship program aligned with Learn by Doing. You’ll research models, gather feedback, and develop resources to track outcomes, partnering with HR and departments to foster experiential learning.

You’ll work on program design, development of guidelines, handbooks, and supervisor tools, while learning how to assess program impact and support workforce readiness for students.

Qualifications

• Current Cal Poly student in good academic standing.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the design and implementation of a comprehensive Cal Poly Partners Internship Program by: researching models and best practices; meeting with stakeholders; documenting positions; conducting environment scans and benchmarking analyses.
• Becoming familiar with NACE Career Readiness Competencies and Cal Poly Partners Culture descriptors.
• Identifying opportunities to expand experiential learning across departments; assisting with program goals, standards, and success measures.
• Supporting development of internship program policies, procedures, and resources; collaborating with departments to identify opportunities.
• Gather and analyze information to ensure the internship program reflects student needs and expectations; conduct surveys and focus groups; summarize findings.

Skills

Organizational skills

Time management

Written communication

Verbal communication

Project management

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Education

Cal Poly student in good standing

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

It’s fun to work in a company where people truly believe in what they are doing!

Job Description:

The Internship Programs Student Assistant supports the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of student-focused talent development initiatives across Cal Poly Partners. This position plays a key role in developing a comprehensive internship program that aligns with Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy while creating meaningful professional development experiences for students.

Working closely with Human Resources, department leaders, students and other stakeholders, the Student Assistant will conduct research, gather student feedback, develop program resources, and assist in developing tools to track program outcomes.

This position provides hands‑on experience in talent development, program management, organizational development, human resources, program assessment, and higher education administration.

Why Join Cal Poly Partners?

This position offers a unique opportunity to help shape a new internship experience that will impact future Cal Poly students while supporting the organization’s talent pipeline strategy. Through Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing philosophy, the Student Assistant will gain hands‑on experience designing programs, engaging stakeholders, analyzing data, and implementing initiatives that support student success, organizational development, and workforce readiness.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Internship Program Development

Assist in the design and implementation of a comprehensive Cal Poly Partners Internship Program by:

• Researching internship models and best practices from universities, auxiliary organizations, foundations, and private‑sector employers.
• Meeting with identified stakeholders and documenting existing student positions.
• Conducting environmental scans and benchmarking analyses.
• Becoming familiar with NACE Career Readiness Competencies.
• Becoming familiar with Cal Poly Partners Culture descriptors.
• Identifying opportunities to expand experiential learning across departments.
• Assisting with the creation of internship program goals, standards, and success measures.
• Supporting the development of internship program policies, procedures, and resources.
• Collaborating with departments to identify internship opportunities and learning experiences.

Deliverables May Include:

• Internship Program Framework
• Program Guidelines
• Internship Toolkit
• Supervisor Resources
• Program Assessment Reports

Student Experience Research and Assessment

Gather and analyze information to ensure the internship program reflects student needs and expectations.

Responsibilities include:

• Conducting surveys and focus groups.
• Interviewing student employees and interns.
• Collecting and organizing feedback from students and supervisors.
• Identifying barriers and opportunities related to student participation.
• Analyzing data and summarizing findings.
• Preparing recommendations for program improvements.

Deliverables May Include:

• Student Experience Assessment Reports
• Needs Assessments
• Survey Summaries
• Recommendations for Program Enhancements

Resource Development

Develop tools and resources that support departments hosting interns and students.

Responsibilities include:

• Drafting internship position descriptions.
• Developing learning agreement templates.
• Assisting with evaluation and feedback forms.
• Creating onboarding materials.
• Supporting development of intern handbooks and guides.
• Creating project planning tools for supervisors and interns.

Deliverables May Include:

• Supervisor Toolkit
• Internship Handbook
• Learning Objectives Templates
• Evaluation Forms
• Onboarding Resources

Learning Outcomes

Through this position, the student will gain practical experience in:

• Talent development and workforce planning
• Program design and implementation
• Human resources operations
• Organizational development
• Survey design and data analysis
• Professional communication
• Stakeholder engagement
• Project management
• Assessment and reporting
• Leadership development

Minimum Qualifications:

• Current Cal Poly student in good academic standing.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications:

Students pursuing coursework or majors in:

• Business Administration
• Human Resource Management
• Communication Studies
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Industrial Technology and Packaging
• Organizational Leadership or related fields

Preferred experience includes:

• Student leadership roles
• Project coordination
• Research or data analysis
• Student employment experience

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal and relationship‑building skills.
• Analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
• Ability to gather, summarize, and present info