EARN Indiana, Earn Mutual Benefits for Employers and Students

Indiana INTERNnet (IIN) and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE) are continuing to advocate the importance of internships through the Employment Aid Readiness Network (EARN) Indiana program.

EARN Indiana is a mutually-beneficial program for employers and students. Eligible students benefit from a wide variety of positions offering competitive pay and valuable experience. These internships can be used to explore career interests, develop transferable skills, apply academic coursework to the professional world, examine career interests and earn college credit.

Employers with an approved internship can be reimbursed for up to 50% of an eligible intern’s wages. Interns can bring a fresh take to the organization and assist with backburner projects. There is also the opportunity for talent acquisition (promoting to full-time positions) and recruitment of other students.

“We have been very impressed with the (EARN Indiana) program, the interns we connect with and the skills they bring to our department,” affirms Alisha Estabrook, community recreation coordinator for Richmond Parks and Recreation. “Through EARN, we have been able to expand the number of interns we hire in the summer and find this to be a mutual benefit for our department as well as the interns we hire.”

For students to be eligible for an EARN Indiana internship, the individual must:

• Be an Indiana resident
• Not have a bachelor’s degree prior to the term a student plans to work
• Be enrolled full time at an eligible Indiana college or university and have an Expected Family Contribution (as determined by the FAFSA from the current academic year) less than or equal to $24,808
  • Or be enrolled part time at an eligible Indiana college or university and be an independent student with an Expected Family Contribution (as determined by the FAFSA from the current academic year) less than or equal to $1,500

For employers to receive matching funds, the following standards must be met:

• Internships must be paid (at least the federal minimum hourly wage)
• Internships must last at least eight weeks
• Interns must work 12 to 20 hours per week during the academic year (12 to 40 hours per week during summer)
• Intern’s work activities cannot be political or sectarian
• No more than 25% of an intern’s work can be administrative (clerical)
• No more than 50% of the employer’s workforce can be interns
• Federal work-study funds cannot be received for the same internship

Are you still not sure if you or your internship qualify? Visit IndianaINTERN.net today to find out!

“(EARN Indiana) opens up so many positions that will be able to pay you competitively all while gaining tremendous needed experience,” said Johnny Slivka, human resources marketing intern for Milliner & Associates and an EARN Indiana-eligible student. “I think the whole (approval) process took less than five minutes for me and has been helpful way beyond the five it took for me to be deemed ‘EARN Indiana-eligible.’ ”