Lincoln Financial Group Launches Virtual Internship and New Graduate Development Programs
June 08 2020 - 4:26PM
Business Wire
Students and Recent Graduates from
Coast-to-Coast Participating in Robust Developmental Experiences
with Strong Senior Leadership Involvement
As part of its commitment to developing the future workforce,
Lincoln Financial Group (NYSE: LNC) today launched its summer 2020
internship, which for the first time will be conducted 100 percent
virtually. Additionally, in the coming weeks Lincoln will kick off
its full-time early career programs for recent graduates in a
completely virtual environment. A total of 138 individuals (88
students and 50 recent graduates) from 77 colleges and universities
will participate in these intensive programs, which are focused on
experiential learning, leadership exposure, and professional
acumen.
The launch of these virtual programs marks another key milestone
in Lincoln’s swift and nimble response to the COVID-19 environment.
A four-year digitization investment (starting in 2016) coupled with
deep business continuity planning positioned Lincoln to quickly
pivot to remote work for the majority of the workforce in
mid-March. Immediately, the company rolled out a completely virtual
immersive onboarding experience for all new hires.
“Our response to COVID-19 has been guided by three strategic
principles: protect our employees, serve our customers without
disruption, and help America get through this crisis. Shifting our
early career programs to a virtual environment hits on all three
objectives,” said Dennis R. Glass, president and CEO, Lincoln
Financial Group. “We are confident these virtual programs will
provide the kind of robust developmental experiences that will
prepare these individuals for their careers, help us fortify our
talent pipeline to ensure we continue to deliver the best possible
services to our customers, and will strengthen the overall American
talent pool and help our nation rebuild its economy in the
aftermath of this tumultuous time.”
It’s important to note that virtual doesn’t mean anything
“less-than,” as Lincoln remains committed to programs that will
immerse participants in Lincoln’s culture, expose them to executive
leadership, offer rewarding work/stretch projects, and facilitate
social engagement both during and outside of working hours through
virtual co-working spaces, coffee chats, game nights and more.
“The students in the internship program are going to be facing a
competitive job market as they graduate, and it’s more crucial than
ever they have opportunities to prepare for increasingly complex
and challenging roles,” said Jen Warne, senior vice president and
chief talent officer, Lincoln Financial Group. “Early talent is an
important focus for Lincoln, and we are deeply invested in
providing meaningful and impactful experiences that can’t be
acquired in the classroom.”
The virtual internship program is grounded in Lincoln’s eight
leadership expectations, which include themes such as optimism,
diversity and inclusion, strategic skills and more. Each week,
students will interact with multiple leaders from across the
company to learn about that week’s theme and bring it to life in
their work. Participants will benefit from virtual mentorships, an
executive leadership speaker series, career development webinars,
dedicated training on working remotely, and developmental
opportunities for each individual, both within the business area in
which they work and broadly as a cohort. They will also be
encouraged to engage on internal and external social media
platforms to share what they are learning, how they feel about what
they are learning, and what it’s like to be a virtual intern.
University of Pennsylvania student Shirly Liu was relieved to
learn she would still be able to have those experiences as a summer
intern. She applauds Lincoln’s decision to stand by its commitment,
along with its ability to adapt to the times and deliver on
expectations no matter the situation.
“I saw Lincoln’s decision to move internships virtually due to
the pandemic as a great example of adaptability during difficult
and uncertain times,” said Liu. “Through transparent communication
and forward-looking optimism, Lincoln made the best out of the
situation and chose to deliver an experience that is still
value-added and rewarding.”
Lincoln’s other early talent programs – including its Lincoln
Preparation Program (LPP) and Actuarial Development Program (ADP) –
both full-time programs for recent graduates, will also begin
virtually later this month. Like the internship program, Lincoln
has pivoted to create a comprehensive virtual experience for these
new colleagues.
Executive vice president and chief people, place and brand
officer Lisa Buckingham commented on the company’s approach to
these comprehensive early career programs: “Each year we look
forward to welcoming diverse, talented individuals from such varied
universities across the country... and 2020 is no different! From a
talent perspective, it’s so exciting to see the future of our
workforce come in, learn what we do, and truly be captivated by
helping people protect and plan for their financial futures.
There’s a ton of empathy in what we do in any role at Lincoln, and
building that skill-set is critical in our early talent
programs.”
About Lincoln Financial Group
Lincoln Financial Group provides advice and solutions that help
empower people to take charge of their financial lives with
confidence and optimism. Today, more than 17 million customers
trust our retirement, insurance and wealth protection expertise to
help address their lifestyle, savings and income goals, as well as
to guard against long-term care expenses. Headquartered in Radnor,
Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Group is the marketing name for
Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC) and its affiliates. The
company had $247 billion in end-of-period account values as of
March 31, 2020. Lincoln Financial Group is a committed corporate
citizen included on major sustainability indices including the Dow
Jones Sustainability Index North America and FTSE4Good. Dedicated
to diversity and inclusion, Lincoln earned perfect 100 percent
scores on the Corporate Equality Index and the Disability Equality
Index. Lincoln has also been recognized in Newsweek’s Most
Responsible Companies and is among Forbes’ World’s Best Employers,
Best Large Employers, Best Employers for Diversity, Best Employers
for Women and ranked on the JUST 100 list. Learn more at:
www.LincolnFinancial.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
and Instagram. Sign up for email alerts at
http://newsroom.lfg.com.
LCN-3115777-060520
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200608005722/en/
Media: Amy Ponticello
Amy.Ponticello@lfg.com 484-269-7151
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