How to Launch a Successful Internship in Your Print Shop
t Milwaukee OATS, community involvement is woven into the fabric of the screen-printing shop and media production company. Owner Enrique Murguia has established peer mentorship and internship programs to help high school and college students gain professional and leadership skills through part-time paid positions in his shop. Collaborating with Employ Milwaukee, he also provides job opportunities for young people with legal or juvenile detention backgrounds.
Murguia was inspired to create these programs by his own journey to shop ownership and the absence of similar opportunities during his early days in screen-printing.
“Once I started growing my business, I didn’t want to stop my community-based work with young people. We mentor youth by teaching them the art of screen printing, along with professional skills and self-empowerment. They have an opportunity to learn through various art outlets such as printing, mural installation, photography, video production, and music.”
- Enrique Murguia – owner of Milwaukee OATS
Starting an intern program in your shop can benefit both your business and young people. Internships bring fresh talent, new perspectives, and valuable hands-on industry experience.
You’ll also mentor the next generation of screen printers and embroiderers, fostering skills that benefit your shop and the community. To set up a successful program, you need to plan its structure, benefits, perks, and support systems. So, you might be asking yourself, why go through the trouble of building a program like this? Here are a few reasons why.
5 Benefits of Having Interns in Your Shop
A local government office reached out to Michelle DeHosse, president of Sparkles By Shell, about a graphic design college student looking for a one-day-a-week summer internship. "It was a great chance to get a fresh perspective on our designs and to also share insights into the screen-printing and embroidery industry,” she says.
1. Get fresh perspectives:
Interns bring new ideas and creativity, injecting energy into your shop. "Design internships with specific projects in mind, such as recommending marketing strategies or conducting an inventory analysis,” says Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and publisher of Midjourney Experience.
“Interns can deliver a 'gift-wrapped' package of their work at the end of their time with you, complete with their own insights and solutions, based on the scope of the project you define."
Murguia likes that his interns keep him on trend to stay ahead of competitors. “I connect to the next generation for shirt designs, so I stay on point to what’s trending tomorrow,” he says.
2. Build a talent pipeline:
You can develop and evaluate potential future employees, reducing hiring risks and costs.
"Think of internships as an audition for future hires. Many of my employees started as interns. Interns are often looking for employment in their field of study and providing them with a meaningful internship can lead to great permanent hires."
- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and publisher of Midjourney Experience
3. Increase your productivity:
Interns can handle routine tasks, allowing your team to focus on more complex projects. "They can contribute across various departments, including sales, marketing, art, and accounting,” Atkinson says. “The students will learn from you and then go out into the world. While they’re in your shop, you squeeze the productivity juice out of the lemon.”
4. Offer skill development:
Offer interns hands-on experience, contributing to their professional growth while enhancing your training programs. DeHosse trained an intern to do online trend research. “Then, I had her designing for not only my local school districts but also for my online stores,” she says.
5. Create brand ambassadors:
Interns often become advocates for your business, spreading positive word-of-mouth in their networks.
“Remember, the goal isn't just to find employees — though that can be a great byproduct — but to give back and expose your shop to the community. You're planting a flag on the map of your community and showcasing your business."
- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and co-host of the Success Stories Podcast
How to Set Up an Internship Program
Howard Potter, CEO of A&P Master Images, set up an internship program because he didn’t see a lot of formal training to launch a print shop.
“One of our local colleges teaches screen-printing as an elective, and our local vocational school teaches sublimation, and I am part of helping with both programs. I also decided to open up my shop to people who want to learn.”
- Howard Potter, CEO of A&P Master Images
To set up an effective internship program in a screen-printing shop, consider the following steps:
1. Define your program goals.
Determine what you want to achieve with the internship program, such as developing a talent pipeline, completing specific projects, or providing educational opportunities. For example, Potter, started off offering internships at the high school and college levels to create the talent he’s looking to hire. “They can grow with our company and become full-time employees,” he says. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”
2. Define your program parameters.
“What makes it work is having clear guardrails and goals between you, the intern, and the school or referring organization.”
- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and publisher of Midjourney Experience
“Establish when they should work, who manages them, if they need their own workstation or computer, who pays them, and so on.”
3. Create detailed intern job descriptions.
Clearly outline the tasks, responsibilities, and expectations for the interns. Include the skills and qualifications required, as well as what they can expect to learn and gain from the experience.
"Most intern programs are time-based, typically for a semester, summer, or a year. You need a clear checklist: hours, duties, supervisors, and how they’re being paid.”
- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and publisher of Midjourney Experience
You should also plan with the school for what happens if the intern doesn’t show up to work or perform to your agreed expectations. "Not every intern will be awesome since you're dealing with people,” Atkinson says. “What if they never show up? What if they don’t do a good job? What if you don't like the intern, or they don't show up, or don't do a good job? You don't have to decide everything upfront as schools' programs work in different ways.”
Potter lets his interns know that they get one warning for infractions and then are removed from the program. “The knowledge they can gain is priceless, and they should take it seriously,” he says.
4. Develop your training plan.
Design a thorough training program that covers general shop operations, specific skills related to screen-printing, and overall business skills. DeHosse rewrote her shop procedures so they’re super detailed for interns to follow.
Murguia’s team created videos on an iPhone, loaded them into a database, and created QR codes for every department so interns could access training anytime. “They can weigh in on how we do something and add to the knowledge base,” he says.
5. Create an onboarding experience.
"Focus on intern onboarding, as they’re only in your shop for a specific amount of time,” Atkinson says. “You want them to have a good experience and recommend you because they learned something valuable.
Begin with the end in mind. What does intern onboarding look like, and what seeds are you planting? It's about giving them a good work experience.”
At Milwaukee Oaks, Murguia schedules icebreaker events for new interns led by previous interns. In his shop, Potter first focuses on teaching his interns the basics, like cleaning screens, emulsifying, and then burning a screen. “If they take that seriously, then odds are they’ll take screen-printing and other higher-level tasks seriously,” he says.
6. Assign a mentor.
Designate experienced employees as mentors to guide interns, provide feedback, and ensure they have a supportive learning environment. DeHosse regularly sets aside time to meet with interns to review their progress, answer questions, and plan next steps.
Atkinson also recommends reverse mentorships, where younger interns offer a fresh perspective or a new way of doing something in your shop.
“They could teach you how to use TikTok for marketing. You need to be listening, not putting interns in a dark room.”
- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and co-host of the Success Stories Podcast
7. Offer meaningful projects.
Ensure that interns work on projects that are valuable to your shop and provide them with a sense of accomplishment. Balance routine tasks with more challenging assignments to keep them engaged.
For example, an intern at Milwaukee OATS learned about the graphic design and printing process through the process of using a t-shirt to bring awareness to human trafficking.
8. Create a schedule.
Create a structured schedule that includes regular check-ins, progress reviews, and opportunities for interns to ask questions and provide feedback. However, it’s also important to offer flexibility in working hours.
Potter schedules interns for three to five hours per day to help them retain their training within an overall internship duration of 40 to 100 hours. The office that contacted DeHosse had 90 hours available to pay her intern, so the intern reports to the shop once a week.
At Milwaukee Oats, Murguia has three to four interns on average, but he’s had as many as 15 interns at one time, depending on the season. The interns work 3 pm to 8 pm during the fall and spring semesters and variable hours in the summer, including on weekends.
What’s unique is that most of the interns are aged 15 to 24 and can work in paid roles, some subsidized by partnership organizations, from six months to three years.
“We train them on all the roles in the shop, from organizing to cleaning screens to printing. When we understand what their skills are, their main role falls into place.”
- Enrique Murguia, owner at Milwaukee OATS
9. Provide resources.
Ensure interns have access to the necessary tools, materials, and resources to complete their tasks successfully. This includes workspaces, computers, and any relevant software they’ll need. "We show them the possibilities and limits of printing, introducing practical applications and advanced techniques,” Atkinson says. “They gain real-world experience by working for your clients.”
10. Create evaluation metrics.
Develop criteria to evaluate intern performance and program effectiveness. This could include skill assessments, feedback surveys, and project outcomes. For example, Murguia surveys interns at the beginning and end of their time with him. “We can see overall if they’re learning,” he says, “and if the program’s working.”
11. Document and comply.
Ensure your program complies with labor laws and industry regulations. Provide necessary documentation, such as offer letters, confidentiality agreements, and internship contracts, based on what’s required. Murguia asks interns to fill out an application, supply a resume, and interview for the program.
DeHosse makes it a rule not to bring interns under 18 into the shop due to the heat presses, cutters, lasers, and embroidery machines. “I teach them how to cut and weed vinyl, screen print, and use the heat press,” she says.
12. Promote your program.
Advertise your internship program through local colleges, online job boards, and industry associations to attract qualified candidates. While an art director at a print shop, Atkinson recruited interns at a community college via a multistep engagement program.
As a member of the graphics department’s board of directors, Atkinson guest-taught a class on how to design a t-shirt. After the students had created designs and the class voted on which one to put on a shirt, they visited Atkinson’s shop to print their tees.
“Many of them had never seen a t-shirt printed before. Then, we invited them to apply for our internship program, and I’d choose a cohort of two or three interns to join us the next semester.
Your interns can come from high school work programs or colleges. Building relationships with educators who can recommend promising students is key to finding the right fit for your business.”
- Marshall Atkinson, business consultant at Atkinson Consulting and co-host of the Success Stories Podcast
Bring On the Interns!
Launching an internship program in your shop offers numerous benefits for both your business and the interns. By bringing in fresh perspectives and new talent, you boost your shop's creativity and productivity and also proudly contribute to the professional growth of future industry leaders.
With careful planning and the right structure, your internship program can become a valuable asset, fostering skills that will benefit your shop and the broader community. Embrace this opportunity to invest in the next generation and watch as your shop and interns thrive together.
