Entry by Pat Patterson
As I have stressed numerous times, internships are invaluable experiences for both students and employers. After Indiana INTERNnet was established, some regions realized the necessity to create their own additional programs to promote the significance of internships.
From a statewide perspective, Indiana internships are being promoted by Indiana INTERNnet and its regional partners. In Monday’s blog entry, I described how the Greater Fort Wayne Graduate Retention Program utilizes Indiana INTERNnet’s technology platform to facilitate internship matches among students and employers; The Southwest Indiana Education and Experience (E2) Initiative works to do the same in nine Southwestern counties.
Former Indiana INTERNnet intern, Anastasiya Elaeva, describes E2 in the August INTERNnetwork:
With just a few people on staff, the Southwest Indiana Education and Experience (E2) Initiative team, also known as the E2 initiative, has been enthusiastically working on boosting the region’s talent retention. Since its start in April 2009, the team has engaged 234 regional employers that established 183 new internship positions by July 2010. The program serves the needs of nine counties: Dubois, Gibson, Knox, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick.
The E2 initiative started through the WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) grant and is operated by the Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce organization. The grant money allowed the group to hire two field representatives to establish connections with employers and promote the power of internships for talent retention and regional development.
We are glad to have the Southwest Indiana Education and Experience (E2) Initiative aiding us in our mission to decrease Indiana’s “brain drain.” If you are an employer in Southwest Indiana, we encourage you to contact the E2 Team. Have you connected with your regional internship team?
