Here’s a preview of the October 14 Sioux Falls Business Journal cover story about an increasing interest among companies in working with interns during the school year. You can read the full story by clicking the link below.

Derek Klawitter can’t imagine going through the school year at The Outdoor Campus without naturalist interns on the teaching roster.

“They’re pretty much the heart and soul of what we do,” the group and community programs coordinator said. “Without interns, it’s hard to carry on here.”

The nature learning center offers free classes on outdoor activities and South Dakota wildlife to people of all ages. While the campus employs full-time interns during the summer, in the fall and spring program schedules are often built around the availability of interns, said outreach coordinator Patrick Klotzbach.

The reliance on school-year interns has been the norm at The Outdoor Campus for years, but it also follows a trend noted by Internships.com. Along with an increase in companies offering internships, more companies report offering them throughout the year.

The website reports that while 84 percent of employers offer summer internships, 80 percent also have fall and winter internships, and 78 percent offer spring internships.

In Sioux Falls, an increasing number of businesses are part of that trend.

To read the full story, click here.