Lone Star College-CyFair’s Falcon Internship Program (FIP) is revolutionizing how the college helps businesses tap into a diverse, skilled pool of student talent, creating win-win opportunities for employers and students alike.
Companies partnering with FIP gain a competitive edge in hiring tomorrow’s workforce while students placed as interns acquire real-world insight and hands-on experience and innovative opportunities in their fields.
“Lone Star College is dedicated to ensuring our students are prepared to excel in their careers by combining high quality learning experiences with innovative internship and employment collaborations with local businesses,” said LSC-CyFair President Dr. Valerie Jones.
FIP’s Success by the Numbers
In FIP's inaugural year, connections were made with nearly 300 businesses in an effort to build a robust network to secure internship opportunities.
LSC-CyFair’s internship program successfully placed 28 students in paid internships across diverse fields, of which 9 students earned permanent positions from their internship. There are more than 200 students eager to secure an internship.
In addition, FIP works to ensure students understand the etiquette, professionalism and expectations in the workforce offering students numerous resume and interview prep workshops. This past year, more than 150 students have received at least one 1:1 resume review and interview coaching sessions.
Employer Feedback and Benefits
“Not only were our intern’s contributions invaluable, the process of onboarding her was easier than I would have expected,” said Sarah Zapata, Manager of LSC-CyFair’s Learning, Engagement and Development (LED) Center. “Knowing that she was vetted through FIP gave me confidence as a hiring manager, which she proved with her daily performance."
The FIP team will sift through the student resumes and pre-screen candidates to ensure the right candidate is matched for specific roles sought.
“As someone who has had the opportunity to work with an intern, I learned just as much from him as he did from us,” said Diana Moreno, Westpark Communications, L.P. Marketing Manager. “I enjoy giving interns a safe space to apply their skillsets with real-world business impact.”
Going Forward
As FIP enters its second year, the program has expanded its footprint and introduced a Symplicity Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to simplify how employers post opportunities, manage applications and connect with future talent.
In addition, partnering with FIP provides businesses multiple free opportunities throughout the year to recruit top interns or employees, such as at the Sept. 23 and Oct. 21 Career and Internship Fairs.
Learn more at LoneStar.edu/OpportunityHub or for personalized guidance on FIP partnerships or talent recruitment, email CF-Internships@LoneStar.edu or Patty.James@LoneStar.edu.