Design students struggling with cancelled internships and interrupted summer plans due to COVID-19 can now work on their professional development with the American Society of Interior Designers’ (ASID) new Virtual Internship.
The online program, curated especially for undergraduate and graduate students, balances on-demand learning content with live, interactive events that put aspiring designers face-to-face with industry leaders to learn the ins and outs of design firm life.
Because the program is digital, students from across the country who may not typically have easy access to internship opportunities will be able to network and learn from their future peers from the comfort and safety of their own homes.
“It is vital that we continue to support students’ educational journeys,” said ASID Vice President of Member Experience Kari Stringfellow in a press release.
“ASID and our talented members have an obligation to share our wealth of knowledge with these aspiring designers. We hope that by taking them beyond traditional classroom learning with chances to explore professional skills like working in a team and pitching a project to clients, they will be fully prepared and excited for the next step in their careers.”
The Virtual Internship enables students to create their own, custom experience pulling from five key areas of study reflective of the skills acquired during a traditional design internship:
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Products, Materials, and Vendor Relationships
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Current Issues and Opportunities
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Teams and Roles
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Project Phases and Process
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Portfolio Design and Development
Participants steer their own course through these categories and can focus solely on one or work across all five. Students experience much of the same content as practitioners with on-demand programming from the ASID Academy.
To close out the summer, the independent learning will be complemented by live, interactive sessions with leading practitioners, such as “ask the expert” panels and portfolio reviews.
These live programs invite students into the world of practicing designers, gaining understanding of the ins and outs of working at a firm, from team meetings to project presentations, and more.
New content will be added in the coming weeks to create an even more dynamic experience for participating students. Learn about the Virtual Internship and get a taste of its exclusive content at www.asid.org/virtual-internship.
The ASID Virtual Internship is available exclusively to ASID Student Members. For information on ASID student membership, visit https://www.asid.org/belong/student/benefits.
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