I have been involved with the local school in the past. Got away from it for a while due to time constraints. But you make good points. I have also had some bad luck with interns. Much better luck so far with engineering co-ops.
That’s a whole other topic. Finding good interns can really help a small product development firm, while the opposite can have an equally detrimental effect, I would imagine. I can vouch for both, and the differences had less to do with the strength of the portfolio and more to do with the intangibles. Is it easier to gauge the relative merits of a mechanical engineering candidate versus an industrial design candidate?
mothy