ALPS | Advanced is an educational training provided by the Research and Business Development Center (RBDC), a non-profit organization, for students who want professional experience. The RBDC is a contract service provider to BYU-Idaho and Ensign College. This program is currently only available to students from these two institutions. Students can participate in ALPS | Advanced from anywhere in the world.
The RBDC works with multi-billion dollar companies, governments, and small start-ups or entrepreneurs to provide them business solutions. After being matched to a project, students work closely with the client and the RBDC to provide that business solution.
ALPS | Advanced is an opportunity for students, not only to prepare for work after college, but also to increase their ability to get the jobs they want. Internship or course credit is available through BYU-Idaho and Ensign College, but varies by department.
How It Works
Research Specialist
- Application with resume required
- Internship/course credit available
(varies by department) - Available to junior/seniors
(competitive selection) - No experience required
- 20+ hours per week
- $300 support grant available
- Max 30 hours per week of outside employment
- Rexburg or Remote
Junior Analyst
- Application with resume required
- Internship/course credit available
(varies by department) - Available to junior/seniors
(competitive selection) - Preferred previous experience
- 25+ hours per week
- $300 support grant available
- Max 15 hours per week of outside employment
- Rexburg or Remote
Expectations
Training
RBDC will train you before you begin work with your client and training will continue weekly throughout the 13-week internship. Those meetings will be offered in person and online.
Mentorship
Your team will be assigned a project manager through the RBDC who will provide general guidance, insight into how to accomplish work, and assist in client meetings. You will also receive direction and instruction from your client and executive mentor who is either an RBDC permanent staff member or volunteer business leader from the community.
What To Expect
- Meet with your team at least once a week
- Attend a weekly training meeting or watch the online training
- Meet with your project manager once a week
- Meet with clients approximately once a month
- Meet with RBDC Business Director approximately once a month
- Perform primary and secondary research (exact work varies by project)
- Collect and analyze data
- Create professional presentations and reports
The Benefits of ALPS
There are many benefits to ALPS projects that enable advanced learning while working to achieve higher education
All ALPS interns will have the opportunity to perform in-depth primary and secondary research. In addition, they will work directly with the client(s) of their respective project(s), handling all client communication and hosting client meetings.
Meet Academic Credit Requirements
Depending on your Major, Basic and Advanced Projects could count towards academic credit, and internship credit.
Improve Your Resume
While a degree is an incredibly important part of your resume, employers like to see real work experience with real businesses. That is exactly what ALPS projects provide. You work with real clients, an get real experience.
A Step Toward Grad School
Getting into grad schools can be difficult. It is very helpful to have real work experience to show for it. Having a better feel for what you are good at will help you make the grad school decision.
Valuable Connections
ALPS Basic and Advanced projects allow you to work closely with clients, faculty, experienced mentors, and teams of students, where you learn, brainstorm, and problem solve. The connections you make could lead to valuable networking opportunities, and potentially open doors to future careers.
Practical Business Skills
Business skills are important to have no matter what career field you choose. All interns will gain experience in the following areas:
- Secondary Research
- Interviewing
- Professional Communication
- Developing Professional Documents and Reports
- Team participation/leadership
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Presentation Skills
- Much more!
Preferred Skills
These skills are NOT required for RBDC internships
Research and Analysis
- Has taken a research oriented class and/or has research experience
- Understands good research design
- Thinks critically, is able to identify problems, and uses logic and reason to assess innovative and appropriate solutions
Microsoft and Survey Software
- Has moderate experience in Microsoft Office
- Understands tools such as Qualtrics to create web surveys and analyze collected data
Communication
- Has excellent writing and verbal skills to effectively communicate with clients, managers, and team members (in person, phone, email, etc.)
Management
- Has good time management, scheduling time effectively to complete each task and meet deadlines
- Plans, prioritizes, and manages goals
- Shows excellent organizational skills
Leadership
- Exhibits good collaborative skills to allow the team to take ownership and contribute, and works well with many different personalities
- Has ability to recognize and adapt to individual team members motivations
- Is self motivated and proactive
