Web site aims to place students in local internships

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Changes in Michigan’s job industry mean graduates are deserting the state at increasing rates, said Britany Affolter-Caine, coordinator of Intern in Michigan, a new Web site and job program.

InternInMichigan.com was launched in April and aims to place college students in local internships. At its core, the Web site is a job site designed to match students to an organization based on self-assessments done by the users. Since the launch, the site has attracted 3,358 student users and 420 employers, and has 143 internship opportunities posted and has filled about 15 positions, Affolter-Caine said.

“(The project) came out of a lot of different people recognizing the fact that Michigan is losing talent,” Affolter-Caine said. “We do a pretty good job at raising talent, but employers are looking other places to hire because so many graduates want to leave the state.”

The Web site was launched through partnerships among the Detroit Regional Chamber, the West Michigan Strategic Alliance, Presidents Council State Universities of Michigan and career service centers from a number of Michigan colleges and universities, including MSU.

MSU internship coordinator Paul Jaques said MSU took an initial role in development of the Web site because many students are unaware of the jobs that exist in Michigan.

“We have a lot of students that (want to) stay here and want to intern here and want to work here, and a lot of them seem to come to us saying there are no available opportunities here,” Jaques said.

The project is funded with $2.4 million throughout five years, which covers the actual Web site, software and people to run the program. It is funded through the Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economical Development grant and the New Economy Initiative, a fund from a number of different community foundations in southeast Michigan, Affolter-Caine said.

Although the site was created two months ago, some students think it could be useful. Jessica Winn, an advertising sophomore who is originally from California, said Michigan is appealing because of lower property taxes and living costs, and an internship could sway her to stay.

“I’m not sure if I’ll stay here or not,” she said. “If I had a good (internship), I’d be more inclined to stay.”

Jaques said young workers could be what the Michigan economy needs to rebound.

“If they do stay here, maybe they can help bring back the Michigan economy with their new businesses, new talents, new ideas and tax dollars,” he said.

Any effort to keep young people in the state is important to Michigan’s suffering economy, said Richard Block, professor of labor and industrial relations.

“With the economy like this, it is true that an awful lot college graduates and people in their early 20s are leaving the state to find jobs elsewhere,” Block said. “Anything that can keep young folks in the state should be encouraged.”

Mike Boulus, the executive director of the Presidents Council, State Universities of Michigan, said the site will grow in the future.

“Over the next five or so years, we hope to get to a point where approximately 25,000 college students have some kind of internship from the site with the idea that an internship might lead to a job offer,” he said.

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