by Margaret Hopkins
IST’s internship requirement may be helping students grab the brass ring – full-time jobs upon graduation.
With the economy sluggish and many companies not hiring, IST majors still are faring well with job placements. Graduates-to-be are finding that the more internships they have, the more job offers they are receiving, said Shawn Clark, director of Business and Career Solutions for IST.
“Internships are a great stepping stone to full-time employment, and if it is a positive experience for everyone involved, a job offer is likely,” said Jessica Trotter who has a full-time position at engineering firm L. Robert Kimball, in Ebensburg, Pa. Trotter, a December graduate, interned with the company last year.
William Them, another December graduate, also landed a position with the company where he interned. For the past three summers, Tell worked at Lockheed Martin Corp.
“The internship helped me narrow down my search (as) I knew that I would want to work for either the same corporation or one similar to it,” Them said.
Other benefits: Them learned about the corporate culture while the company had a first-hand look at his worth ethic.
“The internships allowed me to ‘prove” myself to the corporation,” Them said. “The work that I did and the effort that I put forth showed I would be willing to work hard and be a valuable asset to the corporation, which not only helped make the decision easier for them, but had ramifications for my starting salary.”
The average salary of December graduates is $45,000.
IST’s first graduating class also is well positioned. One-quarter of May 2003 graduates-to-be, according to a November survey of 125 of 186 IST seniors, already have jobs or firm offers. Their average salary: $51,000. A follow-up survey will go out in February to track additional offers.
“Our students are learning the kinds of technology skills that all companies need in order to be successful in a digital economy,” said James Thomas, IST dean. “While placement information for the Class of ’03 is still preliminary, we are confident that the skills and knowledge our students have will serve them well in finding satisfying positions.”
Like the December graduates, a number of the May graduates have been hired by or have offers from firms where they had one or more internships. Many of the job offers are coming from firms based in Pennsylvania, Clark said. The employers include defense contractors, banks, healthcare organizations, insurance companies and technology businesses.
Prospective employees recognize IST students “are able to integrate technology, people and processes,” Clark said. “The companies have positive things to say about our students.”
IST Career Solutions continues to receive news of openings from firms, including Kimberly-Clark, Mellon Bank, Lockheed Martin, Vanguard Group, IBM and Deloitte, that are looking for hires with a wide range of skills, said Shaun Knight, IST Career Service Coordinator.
To help students with job placements, Career Solutions has reviewed résumés and provided one-on-one career counseling. An interview-skills workshop is planned for the spring.
IST also is in the process of sending senior resume packets to more than 1,000 corporate contacts, Knight said.
“This is a difficult hiring landscape,” Knight said. “We’re providing students with the intensive career development services needed to be successful in their job searches, and the results have been very encouraging.”
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