By: Emma Neiman, Program Manager of Internships & Alum
Internships are an integral part of the Ada program – they represent the completion of our students’ academic training, and the real world experience that uniquely prepares them to be hireable junior developers. We invest a lot in developing strong partnerships with companies and teams that our students will intern with, and working to match interns with teams where they can thrive.
Over the last few cohorts, we have collected internship feedback from our graduating students. We love to see feedback like the following, from a C12 grad:
“I really love my team and felt very supported by them throughout the internship. Most of my teammates were very receptive to questions and helping me. My mentor was amazing and took time every day to meet with me. Because they were so supportive, I decided to stay with my team full-time after Ada.”
In addition to getting the intern perspective, we wanted to make sure we were hearing company partner voices as well. So, at the end of Cohort 12’s internship in early July, we asked the C12 managers, mentors, and internship coordinators at our partner companies, “On a scale from 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend working with Ada Developers Academy to a colleague?” (standard for calculating a Net Promoter Score (NPS) Our goal was at least 70 out of 100, since the industry average for Education and Training is 71. (The range is -100 to +100)
We were thrilled to find that our first Company Partner NPS is an 81!
Beyond just this number, the comments that went along with these scores were incredibly instructive in showing Ada’s strengths, as well as where we can improve. In addition to the numerical score, for those who chose any number less than 10, we asked, “What could we do to improve?” This led to very valuable feedback about the preparation we provide our students ahead of internship, specifically around the languages and concepts that we teach, which we can incorporate into our planning for future curriculum.
Finally, we asked those that did choose a 10/10, “What should we keep doing (make sure we don’t lose) as we grow and evolve?” The comments we received for this highlighted the strengths of Ada interns – specifically, their commitment, drive, work ethic, and leadership. One internship manager wrote,
“Our experience with Ada has shown that you train students to learn and take accountability for their own success. In my opinion, this is what makes a successful internship. Drive and desire to learn is key!”
As one of the internship mentors put it,
“The students make the program what it is – strong, thoughtful, dedicated and motivated.”
We are so grateful to everyone who participated in sharing this feedback with us and for our corporate partners who continuously show up for the growth of our students. It is through the support of our volunteers and the countless hours of mentorship provided by our company partners that our students succeed in their journeys to becoming empowered Software Engineers. Using the data we received from this survey, Ada will work to improve our methods and adapt to the needs of an ever-changing tech industry. We are excited to continue collaborating with our internship partners as we grow our impact in the years ahead.