Dive Summary:
- Involving students in campus IT (in roles staffing help desks, troubleshooting and more) can help them land tech jobs after graduation, reduce a school's IT costs and bring new perspectives and insights to an IT department.
- Students are utilized in IT roles by most colleges and universities, though most are only given entry-level duties and used primarily as a means of reducing costs--but some IT managers will tap especially talented students to work as consultants or developers.
- Students are typically paid considerably less than full-time staff (though they're often willing to work for less, as well), and it is also recommended that any relevant union should understand and support what a school is trying to achieve when it begins hiring more students.
From the article:
IT shops are turning to students to staff help desks, troubleshoot, and more. For schools, it's a way to cut costs; for students, it's a learning experience and a pathway to employment. Early in her freshman year at Quinnipiac University (CT), Brooke Eder took her laptop computer for servicing at the university's student help desk. Out of curiosity, she asked the person at the desk to explain the problem and how it was fixed. ...