Technology Interns Lend A Hand During Busy Summer Months

The busiest season for our K-12 technology teams is over the summer months. During that time our teams are hard at work implementing new projects and preparing new and existing technology for the beginning of the school year. The Questeq Summer Internship program gives many of our teams the extra help they need to get ready for the teachers and students to return. The program is designed to introduce our interns to a variety of technology-related work while helping them gain real-world experience in a field that they are interested in. 

Karen Tatro, Questeq Technology Manager at Wyalusing Area School District, explains what she enjoys about working with summer interns. “We get to interact with a student in a way we don’t get to during the school year.  My hope is always that I can hire someone who has an interest in technology.  This gives them first-hand experience of something they might be considering for a career.  It could also turn out that they decide not to pursue technology but still gained real job experience to start building a resume.” 

Over the years, our internship program has grown exponentially. Back in 2016, we started out with nine student interns, and have grown to over 20 students for 2022. In total, there have been 105 interns in the program, ranging from high school and college-aged to adult learners seeking a career change. As always, we have a mix of returning and new interns that are working with our onsite teams this summer. 

Our Questeq Recruiting Department worked diligently in the spring, in collaboration with our Site Managers, to fill each internship opportunity. Depending on the school district’s needs, our technology interns do a variety of tasks from unboxing and setting up new devices to job-shadowing during more complex projects. 

Jeff Friend, Questeq Technology Director at Carlisle Area School District, goes into detail about their specific program. “The Questeq Internship Program is an integral component of our success over the summer months.  With the list of projects seemingly infinite, our intern is used to provide an additional set of hands to assist with those projects.  They may find themselves repairing laptops, imaging computers, or responding to trouble tickets.  With that said, we also utilize the intern to gain a better understanding of our student userbase and establish mentoring opportunities for some of our team members.”

Overall, the internship program enhances technical skills and helps prepare students for advanced education and their future careers as technology professionals. Several of our past interns have stayed with Questeq to become full-time employees.  

Later this month, we will be featuring a few of our current interns to find out what they have gained from participating in the program this summer. A big thank you to all our teams and interns for your hard work and dedication this summer!