With the semester already in full swing, deadlines for summer internship positions are quickly approaching. Now is the time for students to make their way to UCA?s Career Services and Cooperative Education Department in Bernard Hall and apply for internships that will be available this summer within their major field.
Competitive internships are available; they can be either paid or unpaid, credit seeking or non-credit seeking. All applicants must have completed 60 hours at the time of the internship and must have a 2.5 cumulative grade point average, although these requirements could be higher depending upon the internship that is desired. Internships are available for the summer, or they can last for either a semester or year.
Ron Edwards, Associate Director of Career Services/Cooperative Education, said the department works with faculty and the workplace to provide students with an internship that is directly linked with their academic program. ?It should draw upon the skill and knowledge basis they have formed within their major and allow the students to apply that information to a real work setting,? he said.
?Internships should be considered by juniors and seniors because it helps solidify career decisions, gets a foot into the door of a new job, and provides many with an opportunity for a first job experience in a field that directly relates to the degree that the students are obtaining,? said Edwards.
The Cooperative Education Department helps students find internships on-campus and around the city, state and country. ?There are already many great internships available on campus. We work with colleges and departments to provide more internship opportunities where appropriate. ? Edward?s staff wants to encourage those programs and help students who do not already have an internship to find one.
Edwards said, ?We are a process unit to support students. We are part of the career services team that helps students connect with a career and help develop job seeking skills that are important to have as a senior.?
Other opportunities that are provided by Career Services include career fairs, teacher fairs, health career fairs, ?Dress for Success? seminars and career counseling.
Career Services also offers students on-campus interviews with companies from around the area. Companies that are coming to campus this semester are: Axiom, Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Sherwin-Williams.
Another opportunity Career Services provides is the Jump Start program, which is geared towards freshmen and sophomores. It connects students with career development choices by identifying appropriate careers and tying that to an appropriate major. This will help the student move toward an entry-level job after graduation. The program also helps students work on resumes, interviewing skills and job experiences such as internships.
Edwards encourages students to, ?Connect. Be active in this process. Don?t sit back and wait. Don?t waste resources. Take advantage of them while you can.?
Students can visit the Career Services Web site at www.uca.edu/career for more information about internship deadlines and updates about upcoming events.
-Jessica Saylor
