At least 67 new employment opportunities in key JobsOhio industries will be created
for students of Bowling Green State University, thanks to a combined investment
of $1.58 million from the Ohio Board of Regents, several businesses with
operations or interests in Ohio, and the BGSU Foundation Inc.
The university expects to receive more than $650,000 based on matching funds
committed by employer partners and the BGSU Foundation for its BGSU Means
Internships and Co-ops initiative.
The state portion of the funding originates from casino license fees. The funding
amounts designated for BGSU and other universities and community colleges in
Ohio are pending approval by the state’s Controlling Board at its Jan. 14
meeting.
"The companies that are partnering us with in this project have a history of
hiring BGSU co-ops and internships, so their expanded commitment is really an
endorsement of the excellence of our students," said Dr. Joseph Frizado,
vice provost for academic operations and assessment.
Internships and co-ops often lead to full-time employment after graduation, Frizado
added. "If we can get our students’ foot in the door, quite often companies
are impressed with our students and their capabilities. So, when the economy
improves, we hope companies will further expand co-op and internship
opportunities for BGSU students."
Most importantly, the grant will help the university to strengthen existing
partnerships and create new ones, said Albert N. Colom, vice president for
enrollment management.
"Hands-on work experience, especially if it’s directly related to a student’s
academic program, creates an advantage for BGSU students," Colom said.
"BGSU students deserve every opportunity to leverage what they have learned
in the classroom to increase their employability upon graduation."
Paid internships and co-op opportunities for BGSU students will be created in five of
the industries targeted by JobsOhio: advanced manufacturing, automotive,
biohealth, energy, and information technology and services.
Partner companies have committed to paying the cost of training and mentoring BGSU
students, and to sharing the cost of student salaries with the state of Ohio.
For example, Whirlpool Corp.’s Clyde Division will create five new co-op
positions for BGSU supply chain management students, and Lake Erie Electric of
Bowling Green/Toledo will create 11 new co-ops.
Along with Lake Erie Electric and Whirlpool, partner companies include: Advanced
Computer Connections Inc. of Norwalk, Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. of Sandusky,
Eaton Corp. of Willoughby Hills, Firelands Regional Medical Center of Sandusky,
Fisher-Titus Medical Center of Norwalk, FutureGreen, LLC of Sandusky, Grathwol
Automation of Sandusky, InteroTech LLC of Cleveland, Macy’s Systems and
Technology of Lorain, nPario of Palo Alto, Calif., Pacer International of
Dublin, and Peak Electric and SSOE Group, both of Toledo.