One of the first steps in accomplishing this is our placement assessment process. Prior to placing an intern with any placement, our staff visits with the organization to fully understand the work being done, and conducts a placement assessment. Basically we are looking at two critical factors when beginning a new organizational partnership:

• Is the organization addressing a real need in the community?
• Could the contributions of an intern help the organization achieve their short and long term goals?

The needs assessment really starts with spending some time with the organization and getting a solid understanding of the work they are doing and the issues they are addressing. We look at their current projects and learn from them what needs they have that could be met with an interns assistance. We gather information regarding any specific skills or experience that the organization would be looking for to assist them with any current or future projects they may have.

Once we have a good understanding of the organizational needs, and the roles to be filled by interns; and have made accommodation arrangements for this placement, we create a placement profile and enter it into our placement database. It now becomes an option made available to potential interns whose skills and experience match the needs of the organization and placement.

Interns have the option to review some of the placement options available to them and select their preference. The final placement confirmation will come from your intern coordinator, and ultimately your acceptance to a specific placement is approved by the placement organization in country.