Risk management is a specialized industry, so we always thought it would be best to grow our own associates, provide opportunities, teach them our way; farm our own talent, so to speak. To build up our firm for future generations, we’ve always thought it important to gather new talent as early as possible.
That’s why last year we decided to partner with Colubmia University’s School of Professional Studies for a graduate degree internship program. Columbia’s Risk Management students are interested and qualified, so we thought it would be a perfect fit. They have much of the scientific knowledge of the field, and we want to teach them the more practical business end of it.
“We’ve always wanted to be an environment of learning and growth, and provide an avenue for the younger generation.”
— Al Sica, President, The ALS Group
Over the years we’ve had a few interns, but this is our year partnering with Columbia. This year we have a young lady working with us for the summer who’s learning all different aspects of our business.
So what kind of projects do our interns work on?
Operations
- Account management (keeping clients happy)
- Certificate tracking
- Policy review
- Updating standards for Enterprise Risk Management (aligning with COSO and other industry standards
- Sales and marketing presentations and support
Financial health of the company
- Revenue tracking
- Vertical studying
- General financial analysis
Updating our Best Practice Guide
A comprehensive manual on how we manage engagements, our Best Practice Guide is a living document that’s constantly evolving. We need someone with a fresh pair of eyes to examine, evaluate, and find areas for improvement when necessary.
We feel that with a smaller firm like ourselves, interns gain more experience rather than working in a Fortune 500. In a setting like this, there’s ample room for honing a variety of different practical skills.
