Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce Announces New Higher Education-Business Partnerships, Joins Internship Collaborative with Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
New InternHub.com platform promotes college graduate retention and collaboration between the higher education and business communities
Worcester, Mass.—President and CEO Timothy Murray announced today a new initiative by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce to help retain college students locally by providing quality and productive internship and co-op programs. The new initiative – called the Higher Education-Business Partnerships – will be led by its new director, Karen Pelletier, who was introduced at an event today hosted by the Chamber with business leaders and college presidents. The event also included a panel discussion with representatives from Hanover Insurance Group, Domitek, Unum, and Bowditch & Dewey on “How to Create an Effective Internship Program.”
As part of the initiative, the Chamber also announced that it has joined the Internship Collaborative, a partnership led by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, officially bringing InternHub.com to students, employers, and career counselors in Central Massachusetts.
“Our goal is to strengthen the connection between the business and higher education communities with a focus on developing our economy, retaining students to stay and work in the region after graduation, and building a pipeline for existing employers,” said Timothy Murray, President and CEO, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Additionally, we need to leverage opportunities and assist entrepreneurial students and graduates to want to incubate their ideas and concepts into companies in our region.”
Research conducted by the Boston Fed shows that New England has a very low graduate retention rate compared to other regions. Studies further reveal the primary reason talented students leave is the misperception of limited job opportunities in the area.
The Internship Collaborative, which launched in 2013, provides meaningful employment opportunities for students and a talented, education pool of candidates for employers. More than 5,000 applications have already been submitted by the thousands of students actively seeking internships on InternHub.com. The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce will work with local employers to develop effective internship programs throughout the next few months, and will then begin to market InternHub.com to students at the local colleges and universities in the Fall.
“We are looking forward to partnering with the Internship Collaborative,” said Ms. Pelletier. “It offers employers and students much more than simply a database. It offers professional internship resources, ongoing research to explore regional talent competitiveness, sample job descriptions, and more.”
There is no cost for this service and it accessible from any Web browser or mobile device. Employers can upload job descriptions, sort applications, schedule interviews, and send private messages to candidates. Students can use the site to upload or build resumes, search for paid and college-credit internships, research employers, complete personality assessments and questionnaires to find the “right fit,” and take advantage of career development advice. The platform also enables college counselors and faculty to help students find internships in the area.
“We are very enthusiastic to bring the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce on board as a strong partner of the Internship Collaborative,” said Boston Fed First Vice President and COO Ken Montgomery. “We are pleased to be working with them to bring InternHub.com, a dynamic talent retention resource, to their region.”
Made possible by The Internship Collaborative, Intern Hub is powered by Internships.com, a CareerArc Group company that also supports the White House’s 2013 Youth Jobs+ initiative.
