Engineers and IT professionals at Time Warner Cable, Inc are involved in many areas: assisting customers with technical needs, developing new communications products and tools, working with satellite signals, and more.
The cable company, with 14.4 million subscribers in thirty-three states, prefers to hire former interns for full-time positions, says Terri H. Moore, college relations program manager. "Our industry is one that appreciates experience," Moore says. "With our current growth there's just not a lot of room to bring in large numbers of brand new college students, so whenever we have someone who's been with us for two summers, it's like gold. Hiring managers love to see that."
Although Time Warner Cable likes to hire former interns, it also takes applications from others who can relate their past experience to the company's mission, Moore says.
Time Warner Cable hires electrical and computer engineers as well as information technology and information systems professionals. Engineers and IT professionals work at any of the company's thirty-three state and regional divisions. Research and development opportunities are mostly located in Charlotte.
Engineers develop and perfect the company's technology, like its digital video recording devices, and are also involved in receiving signals and distributing them throughout Time Warner Cable's network. "Because we are a customer-focused company, our engineers must be sensitive to customer requests and the need for customer-friendly products," Moore notes.
IT professionals at Time Warner Cable work in network centers that monitor its high-speed RoadRunner Internet access system. "Our technicians can actually see a problem before a customer sees it, and can often avert the problem before the customer realizes there was one," Moore says. They also work with the company's billing systems.
Students can start interning in their freshman year. The company recruits at career fairs as well as at its website (www.timewarnercable.com/careers), where students can select a geographic location and the different functional areas in which they are most interested.
The company also uses campus career centers to reach minority students. "We ask the career centers to notify students of events put on by NSBE, SHPE, SWE, NABA (the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc) and other minority-based student organizations," Moore says. The company attends those groups' career fairs in different regions of the country. Last year, for example, the Milwaukee division connected with the NAACP during its annual convention and career fair.
Time Warner, Inc, the parent company of Time Warner Cable, funds internships through the Students Taking a Right Step (STARS) program. Internships focus on the needs of each division, which usually revolve around engineering and IT disciplines, Moore says.
Along with their day-to-day duties interns participate in field trips. These include "truck rolls," where the students accompany installers to residential customer appointments. They're able to learn about customer issues and the different ways that installers help customers. Installers handle everything from cable to high-speed Internet to digital phone service.
"No two installations or calls are the same, so it's really interesting and a true learning experience to be able to watch," Moore says.
Depending on what city they're assigned to, some interns get to examine the facility equipment at the head end, where the signal is established. "When they visit they see TVs that are pulling up each bit of programming that we have and how we're monitoring that," Moore says.
One of the major goals of STARS is to ensure that divisions and hiring managers are paying attention to diversity. "We really work hard to make sure that we are complying with what Time Warner, Inc has requested of us, because we know that it makes our company stronger," she says.
Time Warner Cable is also interested in external educational programs that train students. It participates in the Emma Bowen Foundation Program, which helps talented minority youth gain access to the entertainment and television industry. High-school seniors can apply, and internships last for four years. Currently the company has about ten participants in the program.
In addition, a lot of the company's divisions have "adopted" colleges and universities in their own communities. Moore notes that in many cases an adopted school is a two-year technical college for engineers or people involved in other areas where Time Warner Cable has a need. The Green Bay division, for example, has a partnership with a local community college to include cable TV as part of a technical curriculum.
Professional development opportunities for full-timers vary by department, but Time Warner Cable encourages employees to attend professional conferences that are linked to their jobs. The company usually pays for a minimum of one conference per employee per year.
Moore personally participates in a structured mentoring program offered by the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC). She says that the company urges its employees to seek out such groups. The Milwaukee division has its own mentoring program for its twelve to fifteen summer interns.
Time Warner Cable has a diversity council, which includes people from all levels in the company, from front line representatives to corporate vice presidents. About thirty people serve on the council, which has been in place for two years. The council has been well received by employees, Moore says.
"It looks at all different types of issues within the organization that may be diversity-related, like working conditions, how people are promoted and so forth," she says. "It will be great to see where it goes."
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Time Warner Cable, Inc
www.timewarnercable.com
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Headquarters: |
Charlotte, NC, Herndon, VA and Stamford, CT |
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Employees: |
45,000+ |
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Revenues: |
$9.5 billion in 2005 |
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Business: |
Owns or manages cable systems serving 14.4 million subscribers in 33 states |
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