Shepherd University Internship Program

KRM Associates, Inc. (KRM) founded its Shepherd University Intern Program in January 2003 and has provided internships to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Information and Cyber Security (OCIS), at the Network and Security Operations Center (NSOC) in Martinsburg, West Virginia, as well as to it’s own corporate operations.

Our Internships offer undergraduate students the opportunity to gain professional experience within real-world business environments and perform work that is directly related to their academic field of study.  Interns are paid for their services, perform shift work, are allowed to work up to 960 hours per year, and perform security analyst services by monitoring network traffic and identifying abnormalities and threats to the VA’s network system.  Interns are educated in the latest monitoring and analysis tools, intrusion detection technologies and other related security technologies. Additionally, Interns are processed for security clearances, which provides them a competitive edge for post-graduation employment within the IT and Security industry.

Since January 2003, KRM has recruited nine Shepherd students as Interns.  Five of those Interns successfully completed the program, graduated, and moved on to full-time employees with KRM, fulfilling the positions of Security Analyst I.  One of those Interns was promoted to a Security Analyst II position with the VA.

The primary advantages of SCIP for the Intern are:

•  The opportunity to explore and clarify their major and career goals with professionals in the field to help determine that this field of study is right for them.
• To develop knowledge, competencies, and experience related to their field of study.
• To gain practical employment experience that employers look for when hiring college graduates.
• The opportunity to take responsibility for their own learning and create a more rewarding college experience.
• To establish a network of professional contacts, mentors and references to provide support and options for post-graduation.

Data confirms that students who participate in intern programs compared to those who do not:

•  Do better in school,
• Are more likely to graduate,
• Are ahead in preparation for their field,
• Are viewed as better candidates in job interviews,
• Receive more job offers,
• Earn higher starting salaries,
• And most importantly, are more likely to get the job with the employer they want post-graduation.

Interns learn more by integrating theoretical classroom study with applied hands-on learning and interaction with professionals in their field.  As a result of participating in the program, an Intern can:

• Better understand what people in their field do and gain a technical edge,
• Gain more confidence in their abilities and enhance their skills
• Lean how to manage time and priorities,
• Learn how to work with others, team build, and gain leadership
• Improve their communication skills,
• And generally, be better prepared to enter their profession.

KRM’s intern program was founded with the objective of finding a way for business, academia, and government to work cohesively within the information technology and security fields in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to specifically:

• Create a total solution in educational offerings,
• Improve Academia’s understanding of employer requirements in the IT field,
• Provide income for students while developing skills,
• Produce technically accomplished students,
• Provide a trained and qualified work force,
• Gain a competitive edge, geographically and technologically,
• Create jobs and opportunities.