The 2011 ASHS Annual Conference

A new partnership among the Center for Public Horticulture at UD (CPH), American Public Gardens Association (APGA) and Internships.com^(tm) provides public horticulture students, educators and employers with state-of-the-art tools for matching candidates with internships worldwide. The internship experience, which links academic work with real-world learning, is an increasingly important element of a student's resume when applying for jobs upon graduation. In the current climate of high unemployment and job scarcity, especially for 20-24 year-olds, internships provide a competitive advantage for job-seekers that academic experience alone cannot provide. At the same time, leaders in the field of public horticulture cite hands-on training and real world experience for new employees among the profession's greatest needs. Although there are numerous opportunities for internships in public horticulture worldwide, promotion of internships in public horticulture has historically been a fragmented endeavor. Public gardens often post internships on their own websites; however, this limits the audience to website visitors and local students. Last published in 2006, the APGA Public Garden Internship Directory listed a variety of internships at more than 70 public horticulture institutions across North America. Annual development, publishing and distribution of the guide to APGA member gardens required considerable resources, and the directory did not ensure effective engagement of academic programs. The Center for Public Horticulture, supported by the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens, seeks to coordinate partnerships among academic institutions, public gardens and professional organizations. With this goal in mind, this new collaboration provides enhanced and free access to internship listings for students, university programs, and public gardens. Internships.com^(tm) provides the platform to promote internships to students at specific universities with horticulture majors via a network of university career service centers. The website delivers updated listings, automated application and candidate selection tools for the users, as well as statistical internship data that will benefit the profession. By creating one's own account profile, a student is able to search internships, post a resume, and access a number of free professional resources. Individual gardens, arboreta, and similar institutions create free, unique accounts for posting and updating opportunities, searching for candidates and managing applicants. Gardens and arboreta also have access to valuable resources for developing and managing internship programs, best practices and recommendations from experts in the internship field. The website also contains easy and direct access to social and professional networking sites to form stronger connections with potential interns, interested employers and internship placements.