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A unique partnership provided internship opportunities in Alamance County to 14 ������Ƶ students this summer. The pilot program, ������Ƶ Interns Advance Alamance, furnishes local organizations and businesses with additional resources while supplying ������Ƶ students with valuable workplace experience.

Through the eight-week program, students worked at different companies and organizations in the community, and participated in weekly professional development group sessions. The program comes at a time when many organizations are having difficulty filling vacant positions and internship opportunities for students are shifting. Robin Kazmarek, director of internships for ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences, says the program is also providing participating students a unique opportunity to learn more about the local community.

“The idea is to try to meet the needs of our community partners while also giving our students a chance to start seeing Alamance County as a place to live and pursue a career after graduation,” Kazmarek says.

Integral to the program are the connections with the community of the Kernodle Center for Civic Life, which helped identify organizations in a position to provide the summer internships. For-profit businesses were also invited to participate in ������Ƶ Interns Advance Alamance, with students working in a variety of roles at organizations including Chandler Concrete, TS Designs, the City of Burlington, Burlington Animal Services, Alamance Arts and Milestone Wealth Partners, to name a few.

“It’s a great benefit for these students to have established relationships that may lead to additional opportunities in the future,” Kazmarek says. “This definitely helps develop the pipeline.”