Talent and how to retain it is a discussion on the lips of every business owner and non-profit organization in Mid-Michigan. This week, 84 companies will talk to more than 1,400 Michigan State University (MSU) students about internships at the largest regional internship fair in Mid-Michigan.
“We have plenty of businesses in this area and some very good reasons to stick around,” says Paul Jaques, MSU’s internship developer. Unfortunately, many college students are under the impression that they need to go out of state to land good jobs. “Maybe they’ll land an internship in this area and then land a full-time post.”
The Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) launched the “Earn, Learn & Intern” event last year. 27 companies and roughly 300 students participated in the inaugural meet and greet. This year, both numbers are expected to double. The event will be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 27 at the 113 Student Services Building on MSU's campus.
In addition to exposing Mid-Michigan’s emerging talent to its businesses, the event also aims to help companies use interns.
“A lot of companies are coming in saying that they don’t know what an internship is,” Jaques says. Others have trouble knowing what to do with an intern.
“We’re trying to get employers to think outside of the box,” he says. Demmer Corporation, for example, developed internships in its accounting and human resources departments as well as manufacturing, which is its core business.
The “Earn, Learn & Intern” event is just one event designed to keep new graduates in the area. MSU also partners with other Mid-Michigan groups to host speed networking events and job shadowing programs.
Source: Patty Mallet, LEAP
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
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