Small-business owners are discovering an upside to the economic downturn: a deeper pool of talent to tap through internship programs.

    'The latest crop of interns was amazing,' says Joanna Pineda, chief executive of Matrix Group International Inc., an Arlington, Va.-based full-service web solutions provider.

    Pineda is now considering offering a year-long paid internship alongside the company's longstanding summer program for high-school and college students.

    Large employers have slashed the number of internships by around a fifth this year as part of recession-related budgets cuts. At the same time, demand for internships is rising among students facing a tight job market where employers are increasingly putting a premium on work experience.

    'It's a good opportunity for small-business owners,' says Keith Ashmus, chair of the National Small Business Association. Ashmus, who is also a co-founding partner at Frantz Ward LLP, a law firm in Cleveland, says his firm's ongoing paid-internship program is attracting higher-caliber candidates as larger firms cut back.

    Tony Pals, a spokesman for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, says while larger companies tend to have broader brand-name recognition, 'interns may enjoy the less bureaucratic nature of small companies, and the often more dynamic work environment.'

    Interns can pitch in to support projects that might otherwise languish on a back burner. They can also energize a workplace with their enthusiasm. An internship program can also serve as an effective recruitment ground for future hires.

    'An internship program is an inexpensive way to try someone out,' says James J. Holtzman, a fee-only financial planner with Legend Financial Advisors Inc. in Pittsburgh, which has an ongoing paid-internship program.

    Hiring permanent staff can be costlier and riskier right now because the uncertain economic environment makes it harder to forecast future cash flow. 'A business owner might want to hedge their overall expenses by employing lower-cost labor, such as interns,' says Laura Mattia, a fee-only financial planner with Baron Financial Group LLC in Fair Lawn, N.J.

    Setting up an internship program doesn't require a large investment of time or money. To get the best results, business owners need to find appropriate candidates and screen them to make sure they have the skills needed to get the jobs they want done. Once hired, providing regular feedback is important as it should be a learning experience for the intern. Offering to act as an advocate in support of an intern's career search is another selling point.

    'You need to create a win-win,' says Michael Franz, director of the Washington Small Business Development Center at Washington State University.

    First, a business needs to identify local schools and colleges that have students with desirable skills. By contacting schools' career centers, business owners can gain insight into students' schedules and the amount of time they can reasonably devote to an internship. For example, an intern may be able to work 10 hours a week while classes are in session and work 30 hours a week during breaks. If arrangements are made with schools in advance, students may be able to receive academic credits.

    Business owners should write up a clear description of duties the intern will be expected to perform, desirable qualifications, the required time commitment and whom to contact. 'Most schools have job fairs in the spring or fall semester, so consider sponsoring a table,' says Holtzman. Business owners who want to cast the net wider can post ads on Web sites like Craiglist.com and idealist.org.

    Businesses can offer unpaid internships if the on-the-job training predominantly benefits the student and furthers their education. However, to avoid falling afoul of federal labor laws, if interns are performing tasks that bring in business, experts recommend entrepreneurs compensate interns at an hourly rate that is at least equivalent to the applicable state minimum wage or offer a stipend that covers meals, living and travel expenses.

    Businesses also need to provide workers' compensation insurance and comply with all laws requiring withholding and payment of payroll taxes. It can also be prudent to require interns to sign a confidentiality agreement.

    小企業主們在眼下的經濟衰退中看到了"利好"的一面：他們可以通過實習項目吸引到更多的人才。

    "最近的這茬實習生太讓人驚喜了，"Matrix Group International Inc.的總裁皮內達（Joanna Pineda）說。Matrix Group International是一家總部設在弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓市（Arlington）的提供全方位服務的網絡服務提供商。

    眼下，皮內達正考慮在公司原有的面向高中生和大學生的暑期實習項目以外，再增加一個為期一年的帶薪實習崗位。

    經濟衰退導致的預算削減讓大型企業在今年砍掉了大約五分之一的實習崗位。與此同時，學生就業市場緊縮，而如今的雇主們也比以往更加看中求職者的工作經驗，因此學生們的實習需求不斷上升。

    "這對小企業主來說是個不錯的機會，"美國小企業聯合會（National Small Business Association）主席阿什莫斯（Keith Ashmus）說。阿什莫斯同時也是克利夫蘭市一家名為Frantz Ward LLP的律師事務所的共同創辦人。他說，在大公司壓縮實習計劃規模的時候，他的公司推出的帶薪實習項目正吸引來更高素質的求職者。

    全美獨立學院和大學聯合會（National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities）的發言人帕爾斯（Tony Pals）說，盡管大公司的品牌效應往往會得到更大范圍的承認，"但是實習生可能會因為小公司較少的官僚風氣，以及往往更具活力的工作環境而更加享受為小公司工作。"

    實習生們可以投入那些原本可能會被擱置一旁的項目。他們的熱情還會為辦公室帶來活力。實習項目也可以為將來招收新員工做好鋪墊。

    匹茲堡Legend Financial Advisors Inc.的收費理財顧問霍爾茨曼（James J. Holtzman）說："實習項目是一種考驗員工能力的非常經濟的辦法".該公司的一個帶薪實習項目眼下正在進行中。

    不確定的經濟環境讓未來的現金流難以預料，因此現在雇傭固定員工的花費更高，風險也更大。"企業主可能希望通過雇傭低成本的勞動力，比如實習生，來控制整體費用，"新澤西州費爾勞恩Baron Financial Group LLC的理財顧問馬蒂亞（Laura Mattia）如是說。

    制訂一個實習計劃不需要投入大量的時間和金錢。為了達到最好的效果，企業主們需要找到合適的申請者，對他們進行篩選，確保他們具備完成任務所需要的技能。一旦錄用以后，定期對他們的表現做出反饋很重要，因為對于實習生來講這應該是一次學習經歷。主動提出幫助實習生找工作是實習計劃的另一個賣點。

    華盛頓州立大學（Washington State University）華盛頓小企業發展中心（Washington Small Business Development Center）主任弗朗茲（Michael Franz）說，需要創造一個雙贏局面。

    首先，企業需要對于當地哪些中學和大學的學生具備該企業所需技能做到心中有數。通過聯系學校的就業中心，企業主可以了解學生們的時間安排，以及他們可以用在實習崗位上的時間。例如，一名實習生在學期中每周或許可以工作10個小時，而放假期間每周就可以工作30個小時。如果事先和學校一起做一些安排的話，那么學生們也許還可以因此拿到學分。

    企業主應該明確說明實習生將要從事的工作、他們需要具備的條件、需要投入的時間，以及企業的聯系方式。"大多數學校在春季或秋季學期都會舉辦學生求職招聘會，企業主應該考慮參加，"霍爾茨曼說。想要把網撒得更大一些的企業主可以在Craiglist.com和idealist.org等網站上發布廣告。

    如果企業的在職培訓可以很好地使學生們收益，促進他們的學業，那么公司可以不支付實習生的薪水。但是，為了不違反聯邦勞動法，如果實習生們的工作能給公司帶來收益，專家們建議企業主至少以各州最低工資的標準按小時支付實習生報酬，或者給他們一些生活津貼，讓他們用來支付食宿和交通方面的開銷。

    同時，企業需要為員工們提供補償保險，還需遵守各項要求預提以及交付所得稅的法律規定。另外，為了防患于未然，企業還可以要求實習生簽署一份保密協議。