Ewa Boardman is the manager of university relations and field recruitment at FM Global in Johnston. Boardman helps oversee internships at the insurer.
Boardman spoke with Providence Business News about how the internships had to be switched to virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and if these internships will continue post-pandemic.
PBN: What kinds of virtual internships are being offered to students by FM Global?
BOARDMAN: FM Global offers many different internship and co-op opportunities. They include internships in loss prevention engineering, technology – including software and cyber, and corporate professional internships in marketing, human resources, legal and accounting, to name a few.
PBN: What experience do these interns expect to gain with FM Global?
BOARDMAN: FM Global’s interns work on real projects that have a positive impact on the rest of the company. Our interns are surrounded by supportive managers and mentors but also have the opportunity to interact with other interns through our summer series of professional-development events. These events range from resume and interview training to a group meeting with the CEO of FM Global, Tom Lawson.
The goal is for interns and co-ops to leave FM Global with the technical skills they developed in their roles, as well as stronger soft skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, conflict resolution and presentation skills. In the past, many of our most driven interns have later returned to work with FM Global as full-time employees.
PBN: How many students are currently enrolled and how many do you hope to enroll going forward?
BOARDMAN: FM Global currently has close to 70 interns and co-ops internationally. Next year we are hoping for that number to grow because investment in the next generation is very important to FM Global.
PBN: Do you expect these virtual internships to continue to be offered long after the pandemic has passed?
BOARDMAN: We do believe that there is a lot of value in doing an in-person internship and are hopeful that one day soon our internship program will return to our offices. Our 2020 summer interns had very positive feedback regarding their virtual internships at FM Global, though we would have loved to have worked with everyone in person. We do know we intend to continue hiring students as part of our workforce, as they bring a tremendous amount of value to FM Global and our company culture.
PBN: Which colleges does FM Global work with to attract these interns to the company?
BOARDMAN: FM Global works with more than 100 colleges and universities globally and [has] very deep relationships with approximately 40 colleges and universities in the United States. In Rhode Island, we recruit students from the University of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, Bryant University, Johnson & Wales University and New England Institute of Technology, to name a few.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
