Virginia companies have a new, free, efficient way to find science and technology undergraduate college interns for summer 2013. With support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) in partnership with Virginia’s Regional Technology Councils, and in collaboration with Virginia companies, Virginia colleges, and community colleges, has created the Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program (CSIIP). With an increasing demand for skilled STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) workers in Virginia, the development of efficient pathways between undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees and industry has become an urgent need.
CSIIP is free to students and participating companies, and offers a one-stop, centralized, online application system allowing STEM majors to search and apply for paid summer internships in their field. CSIIP’s online application process allows students to upload a single comprehensive package that includes a detailed application, resume, letters of reference and transcripts. Students may indicate interest in specific companies or internships. They can also indicate interest statewide or by geographic region for broadest consideration. The CSIIP database is searchable, allowing companies to make the best possible matches to the specific skills needed and have access to the prescreened applications online and can search and sort them by a variety of criteria. The CSIIP tool can readily be used by existing company internship programs to offer an enhanced pool of applicants. Companies can co-brand their programs with CSIIP.
All placements for this first year of CSIIP will be for summer 2013. Companies select students, make offers, and employ students directly. Internships will be for 20 – 40 hours per week, typically for a 10 – 12 week period, and at a minimum pay range of $10 – $15 per hour.
To participate in CSIIP, students must have a minimum G.P.A. of 2.7 on a 4-point scale and must have sophomore status at the conclusion of the spring 2013 semester. Seniors graduating in spring 2013 will also be considered. Companies will set their own hiring criteria.
VSGC Director Mary Sandy notes, “We created the Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program to help companies more effectively find and hire interns, and to help students be considered by a wide range of companies with a single application. We believe that CSIIP will play a meaningful role in helping companies find and retain STEM talent here in the Commonwealth.”
The CSIIP online system is open to companies to register as a participant and to enter internship information. The student application function will be open to students from November 1, 2012 until on January 31, 2013. The CSIIP database will be opened to participating companies for hiring on February 11, 2013. Visit the CSIIP online site at: www.csiip.spacegrant.org for more information and to participate in the program.
CSIIP was announced by the Governor’s Office today. The release is available at: http://governor.virginia.gov/news/viewRelease.cfm?id=1440.
The Virginia Space Grant Consortium is a coalition of Virginia universities, NASA Centers, state agencies and other organizations with a strong interest in STEM education, workforce development and research. The Consortium undertakes a wide range of STEM programming from precollege through higher education, including internship programs that have placed more than 4,200 students in paid industry and federal internship positions. Learn more about the Consortium at www.vsgc.odu.edu.
