Bringing Banking to the Next Generation 16 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2019 ARTICLE SPOTLIGHT BankLEAD Internship Program Wraps up successful first year In order for the Indiana banking community to thrive into the future, it must continually attract and retain new talent. This need is so prominent that it is featured as the “Next-Gen Bankers” pillar of the Indiana Bankers Association’s 20182020 strategic plan. Talent acquisition is addressed through two goals: (1) create a banking concentration at an Indiana university, and (2) implement a meaningful internship program. The IBA is pleased to report that both initiatives have been a success. The establishment of a banking concentration has been completed, as covered in the July/August 2019 Hoosier Banker, page 22. Equally successful is the pilot-year implementation of the BankLEAD internship program. The purpose of BankLEAD is to create a robust program that brings high-caliber college and university-level students to IBA-member banks for a mutually beneficial work experience. While several member banks already had internship programs in place, others indicated they wanted to offer internships, but lacked the resources to develop programming. To address this issue, last fall the IBA rolled out the BankLEAD internship program, through which the IBA acts as a liaison between member banks and participating colleges/universities. To give consistency to internships, the IBA created detailed guidebooks for both banks and interns. Additional IBA responsibilities range from prescreening candidates to hosting intern events. The pilot year of the program was completed this past summer, with four banks and five interns taking part. The program kicked off at the IBA Mega Conference in May with an orientation track for interns, who additionally had the opportunity to meet with members of the IBA Future Leadership Division. As the summer progressed, IBA staff remained in close contact with participants to monitor progress, seek input, and assess program strengths and weaknesses. In July the IBA hosted a joint event for banking interns and FLD members that combined professional
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