Local High School Students Sought For Internships
SYRACUSE — For the first time, high school students in Syracuse are being sought to participate in a paid summer internship program with local advanced manufacturing and logistics companies. The six-week summer internships are open to eligible students who have a strong advanced manufacturing and logistics acumen and interest in the industry.
In Syracuse, the opportunities for internships are significant, as there are more companies requesting student interns than student applications.
The Conexus Interns program, the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics initiative, allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom, update their impressions of the industry, network with local employers and earn good money in the process. The internships also provide students with opportunities for future employment in high-tech, high-wage advanced manufacturing and logistics careers.
This is the second year of the Conexus Interns program. It has been expanded to include companies and students throughout Indiana. This year, more than 90 companies have requested interns to fill 350 positions, making the Conexus Interns program the largest statewide initiative focused on advanced manufacturing and logistics opportunities.
“These internships are tremendous opportunities for students to learn firsthand what a career in advanced manufacturing and logistics can be,” said Tracey Everett, Conexus Interns program director. “We have had so many companies benefit from having students participate in these summer programs and the demand for qualified interns has been more than we expected. We want every student who qualifies to have the opportunity for an internship experience.”
In 2015, Conexus placed more than 80 students with companies in central Indiana. Of those students, 94 percent rated their experience as extremely valuable. Those same students also indicated that the internships helped them better gauge their career choices after high school and 40 percent of the students said they plan to pursue a career in advanced manufacturing and logistics.
Every company that participated in the Conexus Interns program in 2015 said the program was an important component of supporting their workforce needs. Conexus Indiana covers a portion of a company’s internship program costs, making the program even more valuable to local companies.
Eligible students must be 16 years old or older and should have an interest in advanced manufacturing and logistics or some high school AML course work underway. Internships are 40 hours per week, last six weeks and take place during the summer. As part of the program, students attend two intern meetings where they are coached on careers and become a part of the advanced manufacturing and logistics youth community.
Hiring for interns is underway and applications are being accepted now. To apply, students can go online and complete the application.