The Providers’ Council hosted representatives from five central Massachusetts colleges on June 25th in Worcester to provide member human resources and recruiting staff with an opportunity to learn more about their intern and career resources programs.
Staff from about 15 Council member organizations heard from panelists Vickie Cox-Lanyon of host Clark University, Shelley Nicholson of Mount Wachusett Community College, Jill Gardosik of Framingham State University, David Weiss of Fitchburg State University and Shannon Curtis of Assumption College during the two-hour MetroWest University Roundtable.
The panelists each provided an overview of their internship programs and other ways in which the nonprofits and colleges may partner to create a pipeline of employment opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and took questions from participants.
Weiss, Coordinator of the Crocker Center for Civic Engagement at Fitchburg State, noted that key points in establishing a relationship are to call him rather than just sending an email, and to think outside the box by considering using interns for other areas in your organization beyond clinical and service roles. He gave the example of using a communications intern to bolster an agency’s social media presence or a business intern to help develop a business plan.
All of the schools seek sites at which their students can do their required practicums and recommended posting internship and employment opportunities to their job boards. They each host job fairs, including some industry-specific fairs, at different times of the year as well as other events at which nonprofits can build their brands and introduce themselves to students.
The MetroWest University Roundtable was the third in a series of events the Council has hosted around the state. Information about more than a dozen colleges and universities that have taken part – including contacts at the schools; internship, co-op, practicum and career center information and more – has been compiled into a spreadsheet that is available in the Member Resources section of our website.
You can read more about the University Roundtable in the Summer issue of The Provider newspaper in July. For more information about college partnerships and University Roundtable events, please email Amanda McCarthy.
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