Paid Internships Make a Difference in Southern Vermont
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/17/2018
Adam Grinold
Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation
(802) 257-7731
agrinold@brattleborodevelopment.com
Brattleborodevelopment.com
April 17, 2018
Brattleboro, Vermont – Each summer college students search for opportunities that allow them to apply their education and gain hands on experience. Internships are also important to businesses, especially in Vermont’s Windham region where low unemployment means employers compete hard to secure talent. The BDCC & Six College Collaborative Internship program works to partner currently enrolled college students and recent college graduates with local Windham County businesses through paid work opportunities. The BDCC Paid Internship program benefits both intern and employer. Almost 25% of interns have stayed on to accept a permanent position.
The BDCC Internships Coordinator, Kristin Brooks, serves as liaison between businesses and candidates. Kristin works directly with employers to understand the skills and qualifications they seek in an intern. Once a formal job description is completed, Kristin sets out to recruit qualified candidates. Through campus events and outreach with over twenty colleges throughout the wider region, BDCC’s Internship program helps local employers and jobs reach an audience of thousands of potential future applicants. Kristin works one-on-one with intern candidates on their applications, providing resume and cover letter support and guidance about opportunities that fit their skills and interests.
The program attracts college students returning to the region for the summer, and works to retain local students interested in staying the in the region. Caleb Paasche, a Guilford resident and Bucknell University Sophomore, returns to Windham County each summer. He participated in the internship program last year and is doing so again this year. Caleb enjoys being able to come home each summer, and still access opportunities that allow him to gain experience and connect with a local employer.
Gloria Anderson was introduced to the internship program while studying at Community College of Vermont (CCV) in Brattleboro. In her last semester at CCV she was searching for an opportunity that would allow her to stay and begin her career in Windham County. Through the internship program, Gloria went to work for a local company where she could apply her education and skills. Upon completion of her internship Gloria was hired full time. These are just two of the many examples that demonstrate the internship program’s ability to work with both college students in the region and those returning each summer, and connect them directly with career opportunities here in Windham County.
The program has placed over 80 interns with Windham County business; 18 of which have led to full time employment. The program has become successful because of the relationships created with Windham County businesses, regional colleges and universities. The Internship program is part of the BDCC Workforce Center of Excellence systems approach to workforce retention and expansion. BDCC programs attract, retain and train people in order to increase the size and quality of the workforce.
Caleb Paasche
BDCC Summer Intern
Guilford Resident
Sophomore, Bucknell University
“Last summer I worked as an intern at the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) through the co-operative internship program. I grew up n the town of Guilford, playing sports in Brattleboro, skiing at Mount Snow. This is a place that I consider my home, and after my first year of college, I knew I wanted to come home to spend the summer near my family and in my hometown. Getting to work directly and help advance the internship program that allowed me to have this summer experience was really a great thing; I feel as if I learned a lot, and was able to make an impact on the organization. This summer, I will be returning to the region to work for the BDCC again, which, once more, shows the benefits that a program such as this one can have, in terms of connecting employers and students – a mutually beneficial pairing that provides employers with motivated students and students with the opportunity to experience a real workplace environment.” – Caleb Paasche
Gloria Anderson
2017 WW Building Supply Intern
Brattleboro Resident
Graduate of Community College of Vermont & Norwich University
“I graduated from Norwich University with a B.S. in Architectural Studies in 2012, but finding a job in the Brattleboro area was difficult. I decided to study graphic design through CCV, where I learned about the BDCC internship program. I was surprised and delighted to see various internships that would let me explore my interests in design and architecture. I had been searching for an opportunity in the local community for personal and career growth, and had finally found it.
My internship was with W.W.Building Supply out of Newfane VT. When I interviewed with W.W., they not only asked about what I could do for them, but also about my interests and how they could help me grow. I had never been in an interview that felt so geared towards me. I think that can be attributed to an understanding of a student wanting to better themselves and wanting to break into an industry they are interested in. Working at W.W. I learned a lot about the building industry and the local community. I have been grateful for my time there and am even more excited that I am now in a full time position in the kitchen and bath design field. I can’t imagine having this career or working with the amazing company that I do, if it wasn’t for the opportunities the BDCC internship program afforded me.”-Gloria Anderson
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About BDCC:
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) is a 60 year old private, nonprofit economic development organization that serves as a catalyst for industrial and commercial growth throughout Southeastern Vermont, including Windham County and the towns of Readsboro, Searsburg, and Weston. BDCC serves as the State of Vermont’s certified Regional Development Corporation (RDC) for the greater Windham County area.
About SeVEDS:
Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) is an affiliate of BDCC that grew from a 2008 grassroots effort, initiated by BDCC, to reverse the economic decline of the Windham Region and plan for the economic impacts from the closure of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. In 2014, after multiple years of regional input, education and data gathering, SeVEDS submitted the Windham Region’s federally recognized S.M.A.R.T. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for federal approval.
