Location: Kansas City, Mo.

Employees: 300

Number of interns: 14

Length of internship: 3 months

Internship program created: Barkley has had an internship program since its founding in 1964, but the expanded mentorship began in 2006.

What it does: Barkley is an employee-owned full-service advertising and marketing company with clients that include 24 Hour Fitness, Big O Tires, and the March of Dimes.

Description of internship: Barkley interns spend their summer working on a real-world client project, starting from the conception phase and ending with a pitch to the prospective client. Last year's group was assigned to launch a new product for Boulevard Brewery, and the 2008 group will be working with the local arena football team, the Kansas City Brigade, on ways to raise interest in the sport. (paid)

Notable perks: In addition to the hands-on industry experience that comes with preparing a client pitch, each Barkley intern has a mentor within the company that works directly with them throughout the summer. Interns have regular meetings with senior management and at the end of the summer, CEO Brian Brooker takes the group out to lunch. Out of every internship group, one or two usually end up getting hired.

Why interns? "We want to give people who are starting out in the business a little bit more real experience, and make them feel like they are part of something," says CEO Brian Brooker. "The internship program gives us a chance to give back to the younger generation by giving them experience that they can later leverage in the industry."

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