How internship programs build better leaders

For HR leaders looking to strengthen leadership capability, internships shouldn’t be viewed purely as a recruitment initiative. They should also be recognised as a practical way to foster the next generation of leaders, writes Gary Tenenbaum.

When most businesses talk about internship programs, the conversation usually centres on addressing skills shortages, building future talent pipelines, or creating recruitment pathways.

We used to think the same.

But after running internships for more than five years, I’ve come to believe many businesses are measuring success the wrong way. While internships can be a powerful recruitment tool, their greatest value isn’t the talent they bring into an organisation. It’s the leaders they help create.

Building talent is only the beginning

Like many businesses, we originally offered internships to identify emerging talent and give students meaningful industry exposure.

While experienced professionals will always play an important role, we’ve learnt that one of the most effective ways to find exceptional people isn’t to compete for them at all – it’s to build them.

Over the years, our internship program has become one of the most valuable talent pipelines in our business. This isn’t because interns are a source of low-cost labour, but because they provide something increasingly difficult to find through traditional recruitment channels: potential.

Fourteen members of our team started their journey with us as interns before progressing into permanent roles. One of those individuals is now part of our senior leadership team, running our accounts services department.

The next generation of high performers is already out there. They’re studying, working part-time, building side projects, and looking for their first gig.

Internships give emerging professionals valuable industry experience while enabling businesses to develop people who understand their culture, values, and ways of working from day one. Investing in emerging talent often delivers better long-term outcomes than simply competing for experience.

But that’s only half the story.

What we didn’t anticipate was that the biggest impact of the program wouldn’t be on the interns themselves. It would be on the people teaching them.

Teaching creates better leaders

Over time, we’ve watched interns become coordinators, coordinators become specialists, specialists become leaders, and those same leaders return to mentor the next intake of interns. In many ways, the program has become self-perpetuating. The people who once benefited from being taught are now responsible for teaching others, creating a cycle of learning that strengthens with every intake.

Watching someone progress from an intern eager to learn into a leader responsible for developing others reinforces the value of investing in people early and often.

Teaching forces leaders to slow down and think differently. It requires them to explain not just what they do, but why they do it. Processes that have become second nature need to be broken down, communicated clearly and adapted to suit different learning styles. In doing so, leaders often gain a deeper understanding of their own craft.

The reality is that expertise and leadership are not the same thing. Many people become highly skilled in their profession but are never given the opportunity to develop others. Yet the ability to coach, mentor and communicate effectively becomes increasingly important as careers progress.

Internship programs create opportunities for leaders to build these skills by asking them to educate, support, and guide someone who is still learning.

A team member who can confidently execute a task is one thing. A team member who can teach someone else to execute it is operating at a completely different level.

We’ve seen firsthand how mentoring helps build patience, empathy, communication, and accountability. It encourages senior team members to become more intentional about how they work, how they share knowledge, and how they contribute to the success of others.

Just as importantly, it strengthens culture.

More than a recruitment strategy

In organisations where knowledge is closely guarded, growth can become dependent on a small number of individuals. When teaching is encouraged, on the other hand, knowledge becomes scalable. Best practices spread faster, collaboration improves, and future leaders emerge more naturally. People become invested not only in their own success but in the success of those around them, creating a stronger and more resilient business over time.

The benefits extend well beyond the internship itself.

Of course, internships remain an incredibly valuable way to identify future talent. But if we measured success solely on hires, we’d be missing the bigger picture.

Its greatest contribution has been helping create a culture where learning is continuous, leadership is shared, and people are invested in each other’s growth.

For HR leaders looking to strengthen leadership capability, internships shouldn’t be viewed purely as a recruitment initiative. They should also be recognised as a practical way to foster the next generation of leaders.

Because when people are given the opportunity to teach, everyone learns.

Gary Tenenbaum is the co-founder and head of operations at TAG.

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