Crestronofficially kicked off its summer internship program, welcoming the largest intern class to date to its world headquarters in Rockleigh, NJ.
- The three-month internship program provides students with the opportunity to shadow Crestron employees and receive practical work experience based on their specialty studies. Crestron welcomed 40 student interns who will join various departments within the organization, including engineering, marketing, sales, accounting, and customer support.
- Crestron created the internship program to identify, cultivate and acquire top talent. Crestron began recruiting for the summer intern class last winter. Crestron University Liaison, Angela Parrinello, visited college and university campuses and worked closely with career development centers to recruit the best and brightest summer students for the internship program. More than 600 students applied for the program, and after rigorous pre-screenings and in-person interviews, Crestron selected 40 summer interns.
- "We are excited to bring these bright students on board this summer," said Martin Devaney, Crestron senior director of human resources. "Our internship is very unique, in that it's not designed for interns to participate in menial tasks. We provide interns with the opportunity to work with us, develop professionally, and apply their theoretical knowledge into practical work experience."
- Mentors are selected for the program and assist interns in making the transition from classroom to workplace. Each intern shadows a mentor, whom they work with on a daily basis. "Mentors are carefully selected to match the career goals of each intern," said Angela Parrinello, Crestron University Liaison.
- "My mentor Manish has been incredibly helpful through this process," said Rebecca Karger, a junior Computer and Systems Engineering major at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute interning in the Engineering department. "I came in with general knowledge of the field from my coursework, but Manish has helped me develop relevant technical skills. The hands-on experience is something you can only learn in the field and is crucial to your success in a career."
- "I've been able to participate in day-to-day marketing initiatives, meetings and brainstorming sessions," said Jennifer Kadenkavil, a senior Public Relations major at Boston University interning in the Marketing Department. "It is refreshing to contribute to a project and see how it fits into a larger company campaign. I have had many unique opportunities at Crestron that I wouldn't have found anywhere else."
- In addition to educational classes and seminars, Crestron will host several social events for its interns throughout the summer. The first event took place in June and included networking with mentors, food, games, and giveaways. Crestron CEO, George Feldstein and Crestron VP of Technology, Fred Bargetzi kicked off the event with a welcome speech that provided interns with insight into how they became involved in the industry and advice about what they should take away from the experience.
- "The internship program provides a very structured way to bring candidates onboard," added Devaney. "The goal is to transition them into full-time employees."
- Crestron is a member of the Bergen Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and participates in the Bergen One-Stop On-the-Job Training program, which provides job seekers with the necessary skills to qualify for technical positions at Crestron.
