KANSAS MICRO-INTERNSHIPS:

Get short-term project help for your business
Fill your full-time talent pipeline

The Kansas Micro-Internship Program exists to benefit Kansas businesses with short-term and long-term workforce needs, and to help prepare Kansas- educated college students for a career in our state.

CREATE AN ACCOUNT

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Connect with motivated undergraduate students from the 32 Kansas public colleges and universities—at no cost to you!

Program Benefits

Convenience: Get project help either in-person or remote—location is not a barrier.
Quality: Choose from a pool of qualified, motivated candidates from Kansas 32 public colleges and universities; review work samples online.
Fill your talent pipeline: Evaluate performance on short-term projects to assess fit for future full-time positions.
Boost your employer brand: Increase your visibility to potential candidates across the state.
No cost: It's free to register, and thanks to grant funding, your first five projects are covered (up to $500 each).

What are Micro-Internships?

Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments in business, communications, education, finance, human resources, information technology, marketing, research, and many other areas. These projects allow students to gain valuable skills while helping your business.

No-Cost Projects for Kansas Businesses

Thanks to the Kansas Department of Commerce and Strada Education Foundation, your first five projects (up to $500 each) are completely free for businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs in Kansas.

Check out the FAQs (below) for more details.

Ready to get started? Take advantage of this opportunity and grow your talent pipeline while supporting Kansas students.

Want to access talent but don’t have a project? Our administrative partner Parker Dewey, is available to support you every step of the way!

Join Kansas Organizations Already Growing Their Talent Pipelines

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

Click to create your own project. You can determine the project scope, deadlines, and other details. If you need help, please contact Parker Dewey.

Lead Generation

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

Website Updates

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

Market Research

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

Data Cleansing

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

Social Media Content Calendar

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

Sourcing Candidates

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

Diversity Best Practices

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

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a Micro-Internship?

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.

There is also a wide array of learn and earn opportunities for Kansas organizations and career seekers via the Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship, which supports apprenticeships across multiple industries.

Q. What is the cost?

A.

Thanks to the generous support of the Kansas Department of Commerce, the first five Micro-Internship projects completed for a Kansas organization or entrepreneur by students currently enrolled in any of the seven Kansas public universities are provided at no cost (up to $500 per project). Two of the five no-cost projects may be completed by students currently enrolled in a graduate program offered by any of the seven Kansas public universities.

An additional 200 Micro-Internship projects up to $500 each completed by students currently enrolled in any of the Kansas public community or technical colleges are also provided at no cost for Kansas organizations and entrepreneurs through the end of calendar year 2025 thanks to funding provided by the Strada Education Foundation. These and the other no cost projects provided by the Kansas Department of Commerce are limited to five per Kansas organization or entrepreneur while the funding lasts.

A $500 project typically implies between 20 and 25 hours of work by the student.

The no cost KMI projects will be available until the current funding is depleted or renewed.

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.

Q. What are the legal/administrative implications of Micro-Internships?

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.

Q. Are Micro-Internships on-site or remote?

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.

Q. Who manages the Micro-Interns?

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.

Q. Tell me more about the KMI Program.

A.

The Kansas Micro-Internship (KMI) program supports the Kansas Board of Regents' “Building a Future” strategic plan and the Kansas Department of Commerce's aim to connect businesses, job seekers, educational institutions and training providers to ensure the state’s workforce is equipped to meet industry needs and to help create economic success for Kansas residents and businesses.

The Kansas Micro-Internship Program is a partnership between the Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas Department of Commerce, DeBruce Foundation, Strada 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 (20-25 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.

Proudly Supported by Our Program Sponsors