Area businesses seek student interns
Number of organizations recruiting at Eau Claire has doubled since 2003
Nicole Strittmater
Issue date: 2/15/06 Section: Campus News
Jeanne Skoug, director of Career Services, said over the last four years, the number of employers in the Chippewa Valley who post internships has increased by 28 percent and the number of regional employers who post local jobs has increased by 78 percent.
Events scheduled by Career Services throughout the school year are meant to raise awareness of the options available to students, as well as provide employers with an opportunity to find employees or interns, Skoug said.
Internship Mania is one way that Career Services has heightened the student body's awareness.
"We started Internship Mania seven years ago to get more internships and more Chippewa Valley employers," Skoug said.
Another program developed to increase awareness is "Come to College/Stay for a Career."
"It's two-pronged," Skoug said.
The school partners with the community to help employers find students to work for them, as well as to help students see all the career opportunities and businesses in the Chippewa Valley, she said.
"We feel like we're doing a service," Skoug said. "Anyone who has had an internship knows it's a really good idea and it's the perfect way to see if (the field) is the right career choice, and they are good resume builders."
"About 40 percent of our students are out on some internship each year," she said. "This year 876 Chippewa Valley employers contacted Career Services to post internships or a job; that's doubled over the last three years."
Abby Therese, an Eau Claire senior and former advertising representative at The Spectator, interned with the Chippewa Valley Visitor's Bureau last summer and is now interning with Maverick Media.
She said the experience has made her realize she wants to work in advertising. Now she is trying to decide what media she wants to work in: print or radio.
"I think (internships) are pretty important," Therese said. "Even though they may not tell you what you want to do with the rest of your life, they tell you what you don't want to do."
Events scheduled by Career Services throughout the school year are meant to raise awareness of the options available to students, as well as provide employers with an opportunity to find employees or interns, Skoug said.
Internship Mania is one way that Career Services has heightened the student body's awareness.
"We started Internship Mania seven years ago to get more internships and more Chippewa Valley employers," Skoug said.
Another program developed to increase awareness is "Come to College/Stay for a Career."
"It's two-pronged," Skoug said.
The school partners with the community to help employers find students to work for them, as well as to help students see all the career opportunities and businesses in the Chippewa Valley, she said.
"We feel like we're doing a service," Skoug said. "Anyone who has had an internship knows it's a really good idea and it's the perfect way to see if (the field) is the right career choice, and they are good resume builders."
"About 40 percent of our students are out on some internship each year," she said. "This year 876 Chippewa Valley employers contacted Career Services to post internships or a job; that's doubled over the last three years."
Abby Therese, an Eau Claire senior and former advertising representative at The Spectator, interned with the Chippewa Valley Visitor's Bureau last summer and is now interning with Maverick Media.
She said the experience has made her realize she wants to work in advertising. Now she is trying to decide what media she wants to work in: print or radio.
"I think (internships) are pretty important," Therese said. "Even though they may not tell you what you want to do with the rest of your life, they tell you what you don't want to do."