Many top employers are taking a try before you buy approach to hiring the hundreds or thousands of new entry level workers they need every year. Internships provide a valuable way to get to know the person before committing to a permanent hire. Employers and interns both get a low risk opportunity to find a perfect fit.

The 2006 Experiential Education Survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reports that employers offer jobs to more than 70% of interns. 75% of offers are accepted with a 53% full-time hire conversion rate. That’s a great success story for campus recruiting.

The success rate of these real world auditions are also a welcome counterpoint to the dismal findings of the recent report, Are They Really Ready to Work?, lamenting student skill levels. Maybe there is no lack of skills and abilities in the upcoming generation of workers, after all?