Berkley

Program helps employers find help

By Jeremy Selweski
C & G Staff Writer

BERKLEY — For an increasing number of local businesses, schools and organizations, the search for qualified interns has gotten a whole lot easier thanks to a new online tool.

Intern in Michigan is a free statewide initiative designed to benefit employers, as well as college students, recent graduates and young professionals. According to Executive Director Wendy Pittman, the program matches employers with the top interns in their field from all across the state.

“Fifty percent of college students leave Michigan with the perception that there are no jobs here, but employers say that they are always looking for more young talent,” she said. “Current intern search practices are not very systematic. We want employers to know that we have a whole state full of great students who are looking for work.”

In just a few short months, via the Intern in Michigan website, nearly 2,500 students from over 160 Michigan colleges and universities have explored new careers, while more than 300 employers throughout the state have posted over 1,000 internship opportunities. The site currently has almost 6,000 registered users, Pittman said.

Intern in Michigan operates under the belief that internships are a proven way for companies and even entire regions to retain local talent. Unfortunately, many employers view them to be time-consuming and expensive to maintain. By contrast, Intern in Michigan attempts to simplify the hiring process and quickly allow employers to find interns as a way to further develop future job candidates and supplement existing staff.

“This system saves employers a lot of time and money because it streamlines the entire process — and it’s all free,” Pittman explained. “It’s a service that’s available to anyone who wants to use it. The diversity of different skill sets that we have on our site is incredible.”

The employers that have utilized Intern in Michigan cover industries ranging from engineering, marketing and information technology to health care, finance and the auto industry. Locally, they also include the Berkley School District, where Pattengill Elementary School recently used the service to hire two new interns for its kindergarten teachers.

According to Pattengill Principal Daryl Robbins, Intern in Michigan first came to the district’s attention after Superintendent Michael Simeck met Pittman and told her that some of his schools might be interested in using the service. Before long, Pattengill had hired a pair of interns that perfectly suited its needs.

“(Intern in Michigan) is very easy to use, technology-wise,” Robbins said, “and we’re really happy with the results so far. We found two great interns and immediately placed them in our kindergarten classrooms.”

For Robbins, the best part about Intern in Michigan is that it takes away all the guesswork from the intern search process. “We were able to see how close of a match any potential candidates were for our school, and then we could pick and choose them based on that. I would definitely recommend this service to other people.”

Designed by the Detroit-based company Digerati, Intern in Michigan is philanthropically funded by the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Its website launched in October and is already being used by employers from metro Detroit to Grand Rapids and from Flint to the Upper Peninsula.

At the local level, in addition to Pattengill, Intern in Michigan has been utilized by the Birmingham-based Panrimo, which works with colleges, universities and individual students around the Midwest to schedule overseas study courses. On a larger scale, such employers as DTE Energy, the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Nonprofit Association have also taken advantage of the service.

Pittman is anticipating that Intern in Michigan will continue to grow in the coming months. So far, she has found that employers are very receptive to the program — Berkley schools, for instance, “have been a pleasure to work with,” she said — and have given them loads of positive feedback. But the primary goal, she stressed, is to help create new jobs and prevent Michigan’s young talent from fleeing to other states once they receive their college diploma.

“We want to change the perception that there are not any great economic opportunities for people right here in Michigan,” Pittman said. “Our service is bridging the gap by bringing people together from all over the state. It’s free, it’s super easy to use, and it connects employers with students who have the exact skill set that they’re looking for.”

For more information on Intern in Michigan, go to www.interninmichigan.com.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jSelweski@candgnews.com or at (586)218-5004.