Your internship program can't achieve ROI if you don't have a clear road map. Document these aspects of your internship program on an ongoing basis to help you clarify what you do, how you do it, and why you do it:

• Your program’s mission statement.
• Activities you need to engage in to achieve your mission.
• Who is responsible for each activity and how it will be carried out. (Management, the internship program manager and coordinator, students’ managers and mentors, and the students themselves should all be assigned specific responsibilities.)
• Standards, including eligibility and application requirements; submission deadlines; length of appointments; and guidelines for quality assignments and student performance appraisals.
• Compensation structure, and benefits or perquisites available to students, e.g., relocation and housing policies.
• Employment status of interns and co-op students, e.g., temporary/nonexempt.
• Workplace requirements, including information on health and safety, dress code, working hours, background/security checks, insurance, etc.
• Plans for marketing the program to target colleges and universities.
• Summary of the program’s performance that details how student workers have contributed to the organization and how frequently they have been a source for regular, full-time hires.