Employers and educators are invited to attend an August 6 event focusing on growing internship opportunities and advancing the impact they have for students, businesses, and communities throughout Michigan.<\/p>\n
“Intern Advantage: creating a talent pipeline through community partnerships and resources” will be hosted by the University of Michigan-Flint at the Riverfront Center. It will feature workshops designed to launch, expand, and engage new stakeholders in internship programs. UM-Flint School of Management Dean Scott Johnson will be a speaker at the event.<\/p>\n
The Michigan Career Educator & Employer Alliance (MCEEA), <\/a>a statewide collaboration aimed at creating relationships and leveraging resources for the advancement of career and internship opportunities across the state, is coordinating the event. The Prima Civitas Foundation (PCF), <\/a>Michigan State University (MSU), UM-Flint, and Davenport University are among the MCEEA partners.<\/p>\n “Many employers are looking for ways to attract and retain talent, but aren’t sure where to begin,” notes Amanda Dumond-Avila, Prima Civitas Foundation’s director of talent initiatives and co-creator of the Michigan Internship Initiative<\/a>. “By the end of the event, attendees will have resources and information to immediately develop an internship program.”<\/p>\n Internships are increasingly becoming important hiring tools for employers. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers<\/a>‘ 2013 Internship & Co-op Survey Report (download PDF<\/a>), 48.8 percent of interns were later hired as employees with the companies they interned for, and 88.9 percent of those hires remained after a year. With nearly 40 percent of recent graduates moving out of the state, internships remain an important talent retention method.<\/p>\n In addition to workshops focusing on “traditional” internships, the event also features a presentation on working with international student interns. Speakers will include Athena Trentin from Global Talent Retention Initiative<\/a> (GTRI) and Malin Clark from UM-Flint’s International Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Many employers could benefit from working with international students, but haven’t taken that next step,” said Dumond-Avila. “Our focus on international internships will demystify the process and highlight the benefits of connecting with international students.”<\/p>\n Attendees will receive an Employer Internship Toolkit, advice on developing job descriptions from HR professionals, information about Michigan Economic Development Corporation<\/a> (MEDC) talent programs, contact information for local colleges and universities, and other resources.<\/p>\n