The state Department of Workforce Development is seeking to boost the number of college students with internships at Wisconsin companies with a new website that’s similar to its Jobs Center of Wisconsin.
The website, www.internshipwisconsin.com, and its flagship tool, WisConnect, seeks to match employers with potential interns.
College students with an active .edu email address can create an account, upload their resume and search for opportunities by geography, major and other categories.
Employers who have created a Job Center of Wisconsin profile are able to use the same sign-in information to access the site and internships posted on the Job Center site will also be posted on WisConnect. Employers will be able to search for candidates by key skills, major and location.
The project is a partnership between the department, the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Technical College System and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
“Employers tell us they want and need more talent, and we must do all we can to point students towards an internship or other professional experience, which can be instrumental in retaining new graduates right here in Wisconsin,” said UW System President Ray Cross.
Lawmakers allocated funding last year to create two Department of Workforce Development positions focused on coordinating efforts to boost internships with higher education institutions.
The department says three-quarters of interns who are offered a full-time position accept it and more than half of those who come on full-time stay for at least five years. The external hire five-year retention rate is 36 percent, the department says.