Barge Internship Data: 37% Convert to Full-Time Hires
Barge Design Solutions says 75% of its interns return and 37% convert to full-time hires. Chief People Officer Karen Cosentino laid out the firm’s internship model in a Construction Executive column on closing the AEC industry’s labor and skills gap. This year’s class has 39 interns from 19 universities, working across 13 disciplines in 14 offices.
Cosentino argues internships should be a long-term talent strategy, not a short-term fix or a source of administrative help. Her recommended build: a team of HR, division leaders and hiring managers, specific and measurable goals, a dedicated manager for each intern, and hands-on work that blends field visits, project work and mentorship. Barge recruits through university career fairs, sponsorship of student chapters such as ASCE, guest lectures, mock interviews and capstone support. It also partners with Genesys Works, a nonprofit that places high-school students in year-long corporate internships. An end-of-program survey feeds program changes.
The source comes from a design and engineering firm. It gives no cost, pay or program-length figures, and it does not cover craft trades.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Assign one manager per intern. Barge’s model pairs each intern with a dedicated manager and field-visit work rather than office errands. A 20-500 employee contractor could assign a superintendent or foreman to each summer hire. This is our inference, since the source does not address craft trades.
- Pick one pipeline channel. Barge uses career fairs, student chapter sponsorships, classroom visits and a high-school placement nonprofit. A smaller contractor could start with one local school or high-school program. Barge’s scale (39 interns, 19 schools) is not a realistic starting benchmark.
- Set a conversion target before posting roles. Barge measures success by return rate (75%) and full-time conversion (37%), and surveys interns at program end. Barge is a design firm, so treat those numbers as a reference point, not a trades benchmark.
