LP Gas, June 2015

IN THE KNOW INTERNSHIPS Q In our past discussions you have mentioned the value of using interns and getting office help from other young people at Propane Resources Can you explain why this is so important and where other propane industry companies can find this same type of help Finding good employees is a challenge for all organizations our philosophy has always been Hire Attitude A Tamera Kovacs Here at Propane Resources part of Train Skills While there is a certain base level that is required in many positions hiring someone with a great attitude is critical You can train skills but you cannot train great attitude In 2009 we took a unique approach to growing our workforce to meet our changing needs The company began investing in both high school and college students to help develop their business skills as well as provide part time or seasonal help for our business needs The students involved in these paid internships are partnered with a full time employee who manages their projects and provides mentoring The interns are not limited to what they can contribute Rather they have the opportunity to grow develop and contribute as much as they desire and are capable Why place limits on talent Harness and nurture that talent Hannah Copeland a marketing intern says she would describe the work environment at Propane Resources as welcoming She adds she liked that she had autonomy and could come up with some of her own ideas even in the beginning of her internship I can remember feeling shocked and pleased that my supervisors valued my ideas and actually listened to me at the first few meetings as the new marketing intern Copeland says I believe internship programs should never set limits on their interns capacity to help the company Propane Resources also connects with a local high school business work program that allows students to leave school during the last two periods to work for a company to learn work skills Sydney Stonehocker involved in the high school business program says her experience partnering with Propane Resources for the program inspired her to pursue an accounting degree in college I came to Propane Resources with little accounting skills but developed them along the way she says As I enter various business classes now I feel that I have an advantage over my peers due to the experience I have earned being in the office Propane retailers can develop and use similar programs within their company and community Many high schools have business programs and vocational schools that can be a great asset for part time or seasonal help It is important to match a students skillset and future goals with the work scope to maximize the benefits to both the student and the company By investing in local programs you are both gaining help for special projects as well as developing the next generation of the workforce College tends to be a homogeneous environment Copeland says Internships allow students to develop communication skills necessary to succeed in a professional environment Even the simplest of tasks of writing emails and approaching coworkers at their desk is scary if a student has never done it Internships reduce anxiety of the unknown professional world by allowing students to see themselves function outside of a classroom Hiring college interns allows you to take advantage of students education and their enthusiasm The employer gets the benefit of the students education and the student benefits by putting theoretical knowledge into practice Cooper Wilburn a former college intern and now full time employee with Propane Resources says the internship helped him bridge the gap between book work and the real world In school you learn parts of the equation whereas the Jamerson McLean Corporation Liability Assessment Services Customer Gas System Documentation Implementation Out of Gas Procedure Duty to Warn Procedures Commercial Driver File Review Hazardous Material Compliance Security Awareness Drug Alcohol Training for Supervisors Insured Locations Our insureds have avoided 1000s of dollars in fnes Providing Insurance to the Propane Industry for 35 years 825 Executive Drive Oviedo FL 32765 800 393 6640 Continued on page 33 24 LPGas June 2015 www LPGasmagazine com