DTE Energy’s Work From Anywhere toolkit assists companies in designing virtual internships
The COVID-19 pandemic threatened to throw a monkey wrench into DTE Energy’s summer internship program, but the utility instead harnessed what it learned to create a toolkit to assist other companies facing the same challenges.
“Our internship program has been very robust, but remote internships were the rare exception—until this summer,” Diane Antishin, DTE Energy vice president, human resources and diversity & inclusion officer, told American Gas. “We made the decision to continue our internships, but we pivoted quickly to remote.”
The first hurdle was how to make sure the 500 expected interns had access to the technology they needed to succeed in the new “Work from Anywhere” internship program. The utility’s workforce development, recruiting and IT departments worked together to gather laptops and hot spots, which they dispersed to students through curbside pickup.
Many of the core elements of the internships, such as connecting with mentors and obtaining safety standard training, were easy to transition to a remote work environment. The hands-on activities, such as shadowing opportunities and field trips to service centers, posed more of a challenge.
“We got pretty innovative by doing things like taking students on virtual field trips with leaders who have a camera in hand and give a live tour while taking questions from the students along the way,” Antishin said.
Feedback from the interns has been very positive, with many of them expressing gratitude that DTE Energy didn’t cancel the internships.
Eager to help other companies facing the same sharp learning curve, DTE Energy’s workforce development team launched its Work From Anywhere toolkit.
It features best practices and tips to help others effectively design their own virtual internships and engage students from afar, said Tracy DiSanto, manager, workforce planning and development at DTE Energy. The toolkit includes both an interactive tool and a downloadable booklet.
“Many companies have grabbed hold of it and are benefiting from it,” said DiSanto, who promoted it through the Center for Energy Workforce Development, DTE Energy’s newsletter to small businesses, and other regional partnerships and connections.
Some of the strategies that leaders learned—such as flexibility and perseverance—will last long past COVID-19 and may impact how internships are offered in the future, according to the utility.