KALAMAZOO – Businesses and industries are invited to partner in a major internship initiative that Kalamazoo Valley Community College plans to launch in January �?? placing 55 students in internships each academic year through 2011.

Funded for a three-year period by the KVCC Foundation, the $100,000 project seeks to place students with enterprises interested in a grow-your-own-workforce alliance.

The bulk of the grant funds will be used to pay up to 50 percent of the wages for KVCC students accepted for internships through December of 2011, with the companies they work for providing the balance.

�??The number of students who take part could increase,�?� said Diane Vandenberg, assistant director of the KVCC Student Success Center, �??if a company agrees to increase the ratio to 75-25, or to pay the entire amount.�?�

While the initiative is targeting enterprises involved in bio-medical services, alternative fuels, and the digital arts, companies involved in other sectors of the regional economy are also invited to take part.

She said salary terms will be established on a case-by-case basis and agreed upon prior to the commencement of the internship. The pay can range from the minimum wage of $7.40 to $12 per hour.

Called the �??Community Partners Internship Program,�?� its parameters were forged by Vandenberg, Lois Brinson and Karen Phelps. The latter two oversee the center�??s Student Employment Services activities.

�??We see this as the college�??s wish to join forces with Southwest Michigan employers to produce and retain a highly talented and trained workforce,�?� Vandenberg said.

KVCC students can apply when they have achieved the skills and education required by the company offering the internship, and when they have completed 50 percent of the course work in their respective majors.

They will also be required to complete pre-employment-skills training provided by the center�??s Student Employment Services. This training will include resume writing, effective cover letters, interviewing skills, professional attire, personal hygiene, promptness and dependability, communication skills, and non-verbal behavior.

Each company can request an intern based on the area of study, skills needed, duties expected, hours of work, and when the person is needed on the job. Each will select an intern based on the organization�??s existing hiring methods and criteria.

For more information about becoming part of the Community Partners Internship Program, call Vandenberg at (269) 488-4793.

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