Simplify your intern hiring process: How to recruit students with ease.

Whether your organization has a long history of working with students or is just getting started, one of the biggest challenges of internship programs is how to recruit students. Finding talented, hard-working young adults who are a good fit for your organization can take time and effort, especially if you don’t have a student talent network to tap into. But what if there was a way to access a pool of skilled internship candidates and manage student hiring at no cost?  

That’s where Riipen comes in. For over a decade, we’ve facilitated internships, co-op programs, and other short-term, experiential learning experiences for students. Our company was founded to empower students with hands-on, work-based learning (WBL) opportunities, so our business model helps match employers with the right student talent at no cost. Below, we’ll explain how easy it is to get started.  

Free access to talented and motivated students.

Last year, Riipen matched more than 37,700 students with employers for 52,700+ learning experiences (NOTE: Some students participated in more than one experience). Students represented a range of skill levels and subject areas, from arts and humanities to business and technical fields. They engage with our platform through: 

• Academic programs: Riipen partners with postsecondary institutions across North America to supplement traditional academic courses with practical experiences. By integrating real-world projects into their curriculum, college students gain hands-on experience with employers that they can include on their resumes and earn course credit.
• Student direct programs: Through programs like LevelUp and FuturePath, adult students can leverage Riipen to find upskill or reskill work-based learning opportunities with employers that come with government-funded stipends.
• K-12 mentorship programs: Riipen also partners with high schools to give teens project-based learning experiences that will help them graduate with confidence, clarity, and a competitive edge. These students are ideally suited for employers with relatively simple projects and are looking to build a talent pipeline for the future.    

So, no matter what your project needs are, Riipen can match you with the right students to help you achieve your goals. 

Student hiring is quick and easy.

Riipen’s user-friendly platform makes it easy for employers to publish and promote their internships or other WBL opportunities and quickly start recruiting students. The first step is to create a project that details the opportunity's goals, focus, and scope, skills required or to be acquired during the project, and the type of student you are looking for.

Employers can create their own projects from scratch or edit one of our templates to suit their specific needs. The platform automatically checks each published project, comparing it to best practices and privately suggesting edits if needed to the employer. Riipen then matches projects to students, ensuring they have the necessary skills to complete the work.

Additional platform functionality helps onboard students, manage projects, and generate student feedback, all from a central location. And Riipen’s dedicated Employer Success Team stands ready to assist with hands-on guidance, so employers can focus on their projects rather than logistics.

A scalable and comprehensive solution.

Almost 9,500 employers used Riipen for their student hiring needs last year, including non-profits, small businesses, and international organizations. Some needed assistance for just one project, while others have used Riipen for many projects. Joy Curth, Founder, El Locale, is one such employer. “I highly recommend Riipen as a collaboration for internship matching,” she shared. “It has been a game-changer for my projects. I have used Riipen for project management, UI/UX, IT security, and marketing. I absolutely love it and am a raving fan.”

Stevan Earl, Information Manager, Central Arizona–Phoenix Long Term Ecological Research, ASU, agreed. “This was a very helpful tool connecting students with experiences, and is a most welcome alternative to posting on job boards, word-of-mouth, etc.,” he said. “End-to-end management of student employment from interviewing to hiring, project management, managing payments, through project completion in one platform was wonderful.” 

Simplify your student hiring process by creating a free account today!