Kansas Micro-Internship Program

Get project support. Give students professional experience.

Need an extra set of hands? Ready to connect with potential candidates? Get support from a Kansas college student—at no cost to your organization. 

This program allows Kansas employers to connect with a diverse population of undergraduate students from the 32 Kansas public colleges and universities.

Through this program, employers can:

  • Get on-demand support on projects

  • Build relationships with potential hires

  • Give back by providing professional opportunities to students

A Micro-Internship is a short-term project that can typically be completed within 10-40 hours and is due within a few days to a few weeks. These projects require no on-boarding and can be completed by a college student with minimal instruction. These are important but low-risk tasks that aren’t the best use of your time.

All associated costs of the program, including payments of up to $500 for each of the first two Micro-Interns selected by Kansas employers, are covered by support from The DeBruce Foundation, the Strada Education Foundation, the Kansas Department of Commerce, and the Kansas Board of Regents, and processed by Parker Dewey. 

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Kansas Micro-Interns are available now to work on professional projects for your organization.
Join Kansas organizations like these
BlueCross BlueShield Kansas
Kansas Nonprofit Chamber
A Bolder Humboldt
Spirit Aeorsystems
This program seeks to help better serve Kansas families, Kansas businesses, and the state's economic prosperity.

Tim Peterson, Ph.D.

Senior Project Director

Kansas Board of Regents

We were so impressed with the student and with the Micro-Internship program; especially how easy it is to use.

Deja Coffin, HR Assistant

SEKISUI XenoTech, LLC

Kansas City, KS

I don’t have to bring someone on and find out that it didn’t work. It worked, and I went back and rehired her because it worked.

Stephanie Sharp, Owner

Sharp Connections

Leawood, KS

It’s giving us college students a chance to show you what we can do.

Courtney Tinkham

Class of 2023

Colby Community College / Fort Hayes State University

I’ve been able to help local businesses that might otherwise not have had the resources to hire an intern. Working with the nonprofits has been especially rewarding.

Sophie Osborn

Class of 2024

Kansas State University

How it Works

Creating an account takes under five minutes—with no additional paperwork required.
Step 1
Post your project
Step 2
Kansas students apply
Step 3
Choose from candidates
Step 4
The work gets done

Micro-Internship Templates

Start by creating an account on Parker Dewey, then define your project or use any of the templates below!

Post a Custom Project
Post a Custom Project

Click on the link above to create your own project. You can determine the project scope, deadlines, and other details. If you need help, please contact info@parkerdewey.com

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Lead Generation
Lead Generation

Compile contact information for 25 companies/contacts that fall under your ideal customer profile.

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Website Updates
Website Updates

Update the copy, images, colors, etc. of your organization's website.

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Market Research
Market Research

Create a market analysis for your industry including growth strategies and competitors.

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Data Cleansing
Data Cleansing

Remove duplicates, update outdated records, ensure there is consistent formatting, etc. for an existing dataset.

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Social Media Content Calendar
Social Media Content Calendar

Create a social media content calendar with multiple posts per day/week for your various channels.

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Sourcing Candidates
Sourcing Candidates

Identify candidates who would be a good fit for an open position as well as potential interview questions.

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Diversity Best Practices
Diversity Best Practices

Develop a manual that highlights the importance of diversity, best practices, and potential challenges.

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Content Creation
Content Creation

Research and draft an article on a specific topic referencing outside sources and editing the final product.

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Email Marketing Campaign
Email Marketing Campaign

Develop a series of emails to help promote an upcoming initiative.

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Extracting Insights from Data
Extracting Insights from Data

Review a data set and provide a summary of actionable insights.

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KPI and Trends Report
KPI and Trends Report

Using various external sources, prepare a report to highlight key KPIs and trends.

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About the Kansas Micro-Internship Program

The Kansas Micro-Internship Program is a partnership between the Kansas Board of RegentsKansas Department of CommerceDeBruce FoundationStrada Education Foundation and Parker Dewey. This program connects Kansas-based organizations with students attending Kansas 2 and 4-year public colleges/universities to complete short-term (15-20 hour) projects that solve real business challenges.

These projects support students' career exploration, expand pathways to economic growth, and allow your teams to increase productivity and student engagement. Through this program, Kansas-based employers can receive their first two Micro-Internships (up to $500) at no-cost as long as they select an eligible Kansas student for their project.


2024 Eligibility Requirements 

Through this program, Kansas-based employers including companies and nonprofit organizations that select a student who is currently enrolled in a Kansas public two-year college or four-year university is eligible to receive their first two Micro-Internships (up to $500) at no-cost


Program Affiliation

When posting your project, be sure to add the Kansas Micro-Internship Program affiliation so only eligible students can apply. See screenshot below:

image (2)

Frequently Asked Questions

A.

A Micro-Internship is a short-term project that can typically be completed within 10-40 hours and is due within a few days to a few weeks. These projects require no on-boarding and can be completed by a college student with minimal instruction. These are important but low-risk tasks that aren’t the best use of your time.

 

Micro-Internships are not meant to replace traditional internship programs but rather complement and even supplement them. Due to their short-term nature, Micro-Internships can be used year-round to find on-demand project support while simultaneously allowing you to engage and evaluate potential talent.

A.

Thanks to the generous support of the Strada Education Network, DeBruce Foundation, Kansas Board of Regents and Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas-based organizations can receive their first two projects (up to $500 each) at no cost to your organization so long as you select an undergraduate student who attending a public college or university in Kansas.  A $500 project typically implies between 20 and 25 hours of work by the student.

The student receives their payment from Parker Dewey upon completion of your project through funding provided by the program sponsors.

If you have a longer project in mind, when posting your project you can adjust the hours and compensation based on your project's needs, and Parker Dewey will invoice you the difference.  

A.

In short, it’s easy as Parker Dewey handles it all.  No HR burdens. No conversion fees. No questions about ownership or worries about confidentiality.

Employment: Micro-Interns are not your employees, contractors, interns, temps, or freelancers. Similar to working with a consulting firm or any other service provider, you are engaging Parker Dewey LLC to complete the assignment, and each individual you select is a contractor or employee of Parker Dewey. You can still directly interact with them as much or little as you would like, and always have the opportunity to hire them directly without any costs or fees.

Liability: We’re mission-driven and believe in the power of creating opportunities. That said, we take on all the liability. Not happy with the work product? We’ll give you a full refund or find an alternate Career Launcher. 

Work Product: All work product is owned by you. 

Confidentiality: While most projects involve public-facing information of a non-sensitive nature, both Parker Dewey and all Career Launchers sign strict NDAs to protect your information. In addition to the standard provisions, the students understand that they are risking their academic transcript or expulsion for any violation of confidentiality.

Background Checks: Given the short-term nature and structure of these assignments, we do not conduct background checks. While companies are always welcome to conduct a background check directly, the nature of the specific assignments and lack of a direct relationship with the individual who is selected has caused most organizations to defer the background check until after a Micro-Internship is completed and a student is offered a traditional internship or full-time role.

A.

Micro-Internships can be either on-site or virtual, depending on the specific requirements of the project. We typically suggest remote, as this provides more flexibility and accessibility.

A.

The best Micro-Internships do not require hands-on management to be completed. Career Launchers on Parker Dewey have core skills and are highly motivated to exceed expectations. During the Micro-Internship, the project manager—whether a hiring manager, team lead, or another employee—can engage the student however is best including email, Zoom, etc.

A.
Once you post your project, Kansas students will apply if they are interested.  You will receive an email each day that your project receives at least one application.
 
To select a student:
  • Log back into the Parker Dewey platform by clicking this link. If you do not remember your password, click on "Forgot password? Reset it" button.
  • Once you log in, click on Details underneath your project. Then select View Applicants.
  • Click Details next to each student to read more about each student's background and his/her answers to your application question(s).
  • Once you have made your selection, you can select Approve Applicant for This Project. If you want to send your student a message you can click Send Them a Message! to set up a time to do an interview or ask the student for more information.
If you have any questions about this, please reach out to Partners@parkerdewey.com.  
A.
When you select a student, both you and the student will receive an email with each other's contact information so that you can schedule a time to meet and kickoff the project.
 
During this on-boarding meeting, you can discuss the following:  
 
  • Communication: You and the student should schedule a kickoff conversation via  phone, Zoom/Skype, etc.  During this conversation, you can discuss how you want the student to communicate with you for the rest of the project.
  • Define Project and Expectations:  You will define the project, specifying the duration of the project. The student will confirm they understand the necessary tasks and action steps. 
  • Set Check-Ins:  You and the student will communicate to discuss questions or challenges of the project. You and the student will mutually agree upon frequency/schedule of check-ins.
  • Review: The project supervisor will review the project upon completion and offer feedback to the student.
 
We'll also send you additional resources via email so that your project goes as smoothly as possible including the contact information for a member of the Parker Dewey Client Success Team. You can reach out to that individual at any time if you need help with your project.
 
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to Partners@parkerdewey.com

More Questions?

The Kansas Micro-Internship Program is designed to support Kansas-based organizations and highly-motivated Kansas college students. 

Micro-Internship projects serve as a bridge to future employment opportunities and may help your organization find its next great hire, or just help you get support now!

To learn more, complete the form.

Thank You to Our Program Sponsors:

While these tasks may not be the best use of your time, highly-motivated college students across the state are excited to exceed your expectations!

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