SLIPPERY ROCK — Internships aren't just recommended at Slippery Rock University, they're considered a necessary part of career training.

Tony Linnan, associate director of career services at SRU, said he tells students an internship will teach them things that they could never learn in class.

"Practical experience to complement academic experience is essential," Linnan said.

Hundreds of SRU students each year heed this advice, taking internships related to almost every major at the university, according to Linnan. The two majors that send the most interns into the workplace are education and environmental science.

Linnan's office serves as a clearinghouse for the various internships, but he doesn't have an exact count of how many interns work each semester. Each department at SRU keeps track of its own interns, he said.

"We're a clearinghouse," he said. "A business calls us and says, 'We need accounting majors, who do we call?'"

Students also seek information on internships from the career services office. There are many options. Some programs require the experience before graduation but some don't. For those who have the option to take one or not, some opt to do the internship for credit, some do it on their own, according to Linnan.

In addition, some internships pay students, some don't.

Whether there is a monetary reward or not, Linnan said there are endless rewards with an internship. Some include learning the routine of a future job, office politics and general layout of a business.

For future teachers, internships, or student teaching experiences, are essential to allow contact with students.

Probably the most important advantage of any internship relates to networking, according to Linnan. Learning about job contacts and possible job openings before graduation time is a big plus when completing an internship.

Also, a company is more likely to hire someone who is familiar with its workplace, Linnan said.

"Six out of 10 students who do internships are offered full-time employment with that company," he said.

Many times, a company is already looking to hire someone when it contacts the university about an internship, he added.

Overall, students in any field should consider internship experiences and plan for them early in their college career, Linnan said.

"There is absolutely no negative in being in an internship," he said.

For the past two years, SRU has sponsored Job Search 101, a one-day conference designed to link students with employers and intern possibilities, he said.

Other than teaching and environmental careers, other majors at the university that participate in internships are computer science, communications, information systems, social sciences, business, accounting, finance, exercise science, safety environmental management and parks and recreation.

Elliot Baker, SRU's executive director of academic records, agreed that keeping a count of how many students participate in internships is difficult. The departments that have the most, besides education, are environmental science, parks and recreation, communications and allied health, he said.

SRU has 8,100 students.

Here are some tips for college students who want to complete an internship while in school:• Start to consider an internship as soon as entering college.• Plan to intern after the sophomore or junior years, preferably in the summer. If an area company will be used, the internship could be done during a semester.• Prepare a resume.• Practice mock employment interviews.• Buy professional clothes if needed.Source: Slippery Rock University Career Services