Release Date:
March 2, 2007
Worcester, MA - As part of a joint venture between the local higher education and business communities to ensure the workforce of tomorrow, the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc. has launched a new comprehensive online internship database.
Powered by College Central Network (CCN), the site will allow area employers to post internship opportunities targeting students at Consortium institutions. Students will then have the capability to search the internship postings, post resumes, review their search history, and receive e-mails about programs, services, and internship-related topics. All database services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and are free of charge to both employers and students.
The strategy behind the new internship database is to engage students with the Worcester-area business and nonprofit community before they graduate with the ultimate goal of retaining qualified graduates in the central Massachusetts’ workforce. The Worcester Regional Research Bureau conducted a retention survey for the Central Massachusetts Regional Competitiveness Council in the spring of 2005 that asked 5,000 local graduates about their post graduation careers and location decisions. The report issued in May of 2006 found, in part, that the more engaged students are off campus during their college career, the more familiar they become with the community and are more apt to remain in the area after graduation.
“This internship database provides the opportunity for employers to train younger talent for possible post-graduation employment and allows students to make professional connections that may encourage them to remain in the area after graduation,” said Roberta Schaefer, executive director of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau.
“The creation of an internship database will likely result in some local permanent job offers during each graduation season that would not have been possible before,” said Eric Saczawa, assistant director of career services/coordinator of internships and employer relations at Clark University. “This extra retention will be an important contribution to economic and social vitality in Worcester and the region.”
In addition to the retention of area graduates, the creation of the database reinforces the value of internships to the overall undergraduate educational experience. Internships provide vital experiential learning opportunities for students while also enhancing their personal resumes.
Area businesses and nonprofit organizations are currently populating the new site with internship postings. Student traffic will be directed to the site in March. In most cases, academic credit can be gained through the completion of internships and some positions may be paid.
“Creating an online database for internships is just one strategy to better engage students with the business community,” said Consortium CEO Mark Bilotta. “While our individual college and university members continue to negotiate their own unique partnerships and strategies to tackle talent retention, the Consortium will use its industry strength and status to work with the central Massachusetts region in other meaningful ways to ensure our workforce for tomorrow.”
