Georgia County Government - February 2008 - (Page 40)

ResearchCorner Interns: An Asset to Every County ssociation County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) has been fortunate to work with many college and graduate school students through our internship program. The benefit to having interns are twofold: one, they provide a great service to you by assisting with projects and tasks and two, it gives you an opportunity to teach a new generation about the function of county government. Interns perform many vital tasks at ACCG. If your county has used our guidebooks or DVDs, chances are an intern assisted in compiling that information. Our Counties and the Law publication is written and researched solely by our legal interns. The content and supporting materials for our recently released Pandemic Flu DVD was produced by two of our policy interns. In addition to providing research assistance, our interns also help to coordinate and staff policy meetings and study committees, conduct surveys and write articles for our magazine and e-newsletter. Interns perform different duties depending on the time of year they participate in our program. For example, interns working during legislative session assist the policy staff by tracking bills and attending committee meetings, whereas summer interns are more focused on research projects. ACCG is not the only place where students can learn about county government. The best source of information comes directly from working for a county. Over the course of our internship program, we have received applications from students majoring in nontraditional studies such as mechanical engineering, chemistry and urban studies that have expressed an interest in working in county government. Although working for ACCG will help these students learn about county issues from a policy perspective, it will not give them the practical experience, in their areas of interest, of dealing with the day-to-day issues that counties must face. ACCG is in the process of assisting counties with cultivating their own internship programs. In order to provide a successful program you will need to designate a supervisor to answer questions and oversee work product, provide adequate work space, and have substantive projects for the intern to complete during their tenure. Starting this year, we will be working with several metro counties to help them create programs and recruit students who would best suit their needs. We hope to extend this program to all of our counties within the next two years so every county will have the opportunity to recruit interns from colleges throughout the state. ACCG is currently working with the Atlanta Regional Council for Higher Education (ARCHE) to develop the curriculum and policy for our program. ARCHE will be able to provide invaluable advice and resources within the academic community to help make our county ■ internship program a success for both the students and our counties. A By Michele NeSmith Research and Policy Development Director Starting this year, ACCG will be working with several metro counties to help them create programs and recruit students who would best suit their needs. For More Information If you are a metro county and you are interested in participating in our county internship program this year, please contact Michele Nesmith at mnesmith@accg.org. 40 GEORGIA COUNTY GOVERNMENT

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - February 2008

Georgia County Government - February 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters Regional Focus on the Georgia Mountains: Rabun, Habersham and Stephens Counties DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb Solid Waste Management in Georgia: New Challenges Ahead Essential Elements of Negotiating Professional Service Firm Contracts The Walker County Courthouse at LaFayette Extension News: Partnerships are Key to Conservation Education Research Corner: Interns: An Asset to Every County NACo News: Counties and Climate Change FAQs Georgia Flag to Travel to All 159 Georgia Counties State Announces Regional Recycling Hub Grant Awards Abraham Joins ACCG Support Staff County Parade ACCG Launches e-Magazine Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - February 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.