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Page 1 of 2 Community College of Philadelphia Internship Program 
What is the Facility Management Degree at Community College of Philadelphia?
In Fall 2007, Community College of Philadelphia initiated a Facility Management degree program. It is the first two-year associate’s degree program in the nation that addresses the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) competency requirements, and the only two-year college credit program offering a well-structured foundation in the facility management field.
The program at the College has two options in Facility Management available: Design or Construction. Each concentration draws on courses available in the departmental courses in Architecture, Interior Design and Construction. The course offerings provide a foundation in computer skills, including AutoCAD, other design and construction management software, and the basic Microsoft Office suite. In addition, the program requires courses in Real Estate, Management, Leadership and Economics. Graduates finish with an excellent, well-rounded foundation in Facility Management.
Who are the students and what are their skills?
The College’s students offer businesses a wide set of skills and abilities: strong Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) knowledge; the fundamentals of design and/or construction management, communication and analytical skills; and basic real estate and management understanding. They bring an enthusiastic interest in the profession and in meeting its challenges. They have a high energy level that can be channeled and directed to the benefit of an employer.
Importantly, students at the College often do not fit the typical college freshman or sophomore demographic. They are often older-the average age is 23. They commonly have prior work background with significant responsibilities. They may be from Philadelphia or from around the world-many are immigrants or first-generation, and can speak two or more languages. Overall, they are self-motivated individuals who have an entrepreneurial spirit-they want to succeed, are used to overcoming challenges and focused on getting the most from opportunities-be that education or employment.
What is an internship?
Students do not receive course credit for internships in the College’s Facility Management program-the internship is a special opportunity to expand their academic knowledge into the “real world.” Internships are paid positions that expose students to the facility management field. Any business offering an internship should organize the student’s time to expose them to as much about Facility Management as is reasonable while also getting the benefit of their skills, creativity and education. There are two overall models that companies could use to organize the position: - a “shadowing” structure in which the student rotates among the work groups in the facility management department, but may not be assigned actual work or projects, or
- an “employee” structure with a primary work assignment for the student, but with opportunities to be exposed to some of the other areas of the facility management department (through observing meetings, visiting work sites, interviewing or meeting with others in the department or in the company). This second approach is most common.
If companies already have an internship program established, the College is happy to work within the parameters of that, as long as it meets the overall objectives of our internship program. Students are usually hired as seasonal workers without benefits. They can work 32 to 40 hours per week while not in school (summers), or up to 20 hours per week during a semester.
What is the internship process at the College?
The Department Head, Professor Paula Behrens, and the Facility Management program coordinator, Professor Bud Wolf, refer students to interested companies. We maintain a student resume file and try to match businesses with appropriate students given their interests and experience. Resumes can be provided directly to the company, or the students can be provided the company information to make the contact themselves. What information should my company provide the College when offering an internship?
Professors Behrens and Wolf request that companies describe their internship position as clearly as possible to them: general job description (shadowing model or the specific job responsibilities anticipated?); timeframe (start date, hours per week, number of weeks anticipated?), student abilities or skills that are required or desired; company location (is a car required or is public transportation available?); is the salary range established?; and finally, the contact person, their contact information and how they want to handle contacts-directly from students, or by resume review followed by company contacts. View PDF Press Release Application Form on next page......
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