Qlarant, one of the top program integrity and quality companies in the nation, has successfully completed their 8-week summer internship program despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now entering its 47th year, Qlarant hosted eight college interns for the paid, multi-week program utilizing its coast-to-coast network of offices. Under the guidance and coordination of George Moye, SHRM-CP, Qlarant was quickly able to readjust from a planned on-site program to a fully remote program. In the work-from-home environment, each of the program participants were able to successfully complete their internship virtually and contribute to their respective assigned areas.
“I was worried with the ongoing pandemic that my internship would not be as productive as I wanted,” says intern Beka Modebadze. “Qlarant adapted to the adversity and provided the most valuable professional experience to me and to the other interns.”
“I can’t express how pleasantly surprised I was to learn that the program was a ‘go’ despite the pandemic”, said Ellen Evans, Qlarant Director of Sales. “Clearly, our HR team did an excellent job of onboarding the interns because they stepped right in an added value from Day 1.”
Despite the additional work created by the pandemic, the program grew over the previous years’ opportunities from two to eight available internships. Also growing this year was the number of interns that will be staying on as full time associates.
“In 2019, we were able to hire two of our interns coming out of the program,” said George Moye. “This year we broke that record and will be hiring three recent college graduates to stay on and continue to add value to the company.”
Partial funding for the program came from the Maryland Technology Internship Program, which focuses on STEM majors and career paths. Internships in areas such as Data Science and Data Analysis are key to Qlarant’s products and services. Other internships centered on fraud investigations, business development, sales, and corporate training. Each intern received special onboarding training, met with Qlarant CEO Dr. Ron Forsythe, Jr., and was assigned a mentor to guide them, build their skills, and reach educational goals.
“As a mentor, the process to bring on the interns was seamless”, said Zehra Zaidi, Qlarant Director of Product Management. “They were not only engaged with their project work, but had the opportunity to network virtually with their peers on a weekly basis and had the opportunity to display their skills, leading some to full time offers at Qlarant.”
Qlarant will begin recruiting for the 2021 internship program in late 2020 with the goal of continuing the success and growth seen this summer.
About Qlarant:
Qlarant is a not-for-profit, nationally respected leader in fighting fraud, waste, and abuse—improving program quality, and optimizing performance. The company uses subject matter experts and innovative data science and technology to help organizations see risks, solve problems, and seize opportunities. Solutions are customized for state, federal, and commercial agencies across the nation. The Qlarant Foundation— the mission arm of the organization—has provided over $5.5 Million in grants to charities throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C. Qlarant employs nearly 500 people nationally and has a 45-year record of accomplishment improving the performance of some of the nation’s most important programs.
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