Future Workforce: Finding Interns
Author: Barbara Denison
November 2007
Every business has both short and long-term projects that often cannot be completed with existing staff. Finding and retaining qualified candidates for long term employment is also a challenge. Hiring a student intern or cooperative education student from local universities and community colleges offers companies a way to get shorter term help, participate in the development of skilled workforce, evaluate potential employees, build strong relationship with local universities and encourage college graduates to stay in local area.
GDITA member, WorkflowOne, has hired 15 to 20 interns from six universities in recent years. Six continued with WorkflowOne to accept full-time positions. Here’s what just one employer says about his company’s ongoing intern program with the Raj Soin College of Business, “Our relationship with the Raj Soin College of Business has certainly been a win-win for us. The College provides the top-quality students with the foundation we are looking for in future employees,” according to Jeff Jaworski, at International Truck and Engine Corporation in Springfield. “International Truck and Engine has developed an in-depth intern program that allows students to take on substantial projects for the company while evaluating a student’s long-term fit with the company.”
Students also value the internship opportunities offered by area employers. Students get hands-on experience with a wider variety of technologies plus learn about the culture of an organization. Many entry-level jobs involve first line customer support which helps develop both technical and communication skills. Faculty agree that the synergy between IT work experience and classroom learning increases the value of students’ education. Wright State MIS major, Nathan Miracle, is graduating in November after co-op experiences at the Air Force Materiel Command and the National Air & Space Intelligence Center where he expects to continue. Nathan states “I will graduate in November with no tuition loans to bog me down, and four years experience under my belt.”
The Greater Dayton IT Alliance has taken an active role to promote internships and support college students in information technology. It originated the Digital Mixer as an event to mix students and employers. Since 2006, GDITA, the Raj Soin College of Business, the i-Zone, and the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce have sponsored the Mixer to showcase the area’s IT employers to students. Last year, over 200 people include students from six educational institutions and over 300 companies met at Wright State to learn more about career opportunities in the area. Save the date of February 25 for the 2008 Digital Mixer.
Since 2000, GDITA, with the support of the McKenna group, has awarded 25 scholarships for a value of over $30,000. Recipients must have a strong interest in pursuing a career in the Miami Valley IT field and some of the scholarship money is targeted toward students who have done internships with GDITA member companies.
The State of Ohio, recognizing the importance of internships as a way to both develop the workforce and help businesses, established the Third Frontier Internship Program. The Ohio 3FIp program was inspired to bring together talented students together with dynamic companies in an effort to position Ohio for long-term growth and heighten the state's high tech capabilities in the evolving knowledge based economy.
To date the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce (DACC) has administered the program locally for the last 4 years and now has worked with 35 companies and over 250 interns. Participating companies in the region have been reimbursed a combined $800,000.
According to Chris Wamsatt, Manager of Workforce Development of DACC, one of the biggest challenges the Dayton region has to face is the declining trend of qualified individuals to fill open positions to support our local businesses. Due to this shortage the business community is very interested in finding talent at our local colleges and universities through a variety of sources including internships, co-ops and externships. Internships provide employers a relatively economical process to help with day to day functions in the short term and help them find skilled and trained employees in the long term. Wamsatt strongly encourages college students to take advantage of all the internship possibilities afforded to them because they are almost guaranteed employment after graduation. Wamsatt reports that the DACC is in the process of developing an internship placement program which helps connect interns and employers by allowing companies one location to find available interns from all the regional educational institutions.
Companies interested in learning more about internships can contact the Raj Soin College of Business at Wright State University or Career Services 937-775-2556. To participate in the Digital Mixer, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
