In December 2008, the Detroit Regional Chamber received a grant of $1,964,284 over three years to support the development and implementation of a statewide system to place 25,000 students in Michigan-based internships. The first phase of this multi-year initiative includes the design of web-based tool and program, purchase of software, staffing, and the coordination, launch and maintenance of statewide system via InterninMichigan.com. The Detroit Regional Chamber’s strategy relies upon statewide partnerships with key intermediaries and unique Web-based software. InterininMichigan.com is being developed in partnership with a team of Michigan-based entrepreneurial companies: Digerati, Issue Media Group and MediaGenesis.

The overall goal of Intern In Michigan is to play a significant role in retaining and attracting young, educated individuals who will comprise a larger, more dynamic and talented workforce to support a stronger economy in Metro-Detroit and Michigan. Currently metro Detroit and the state of Michigan is experiencing a critical outmigration of talent each year – commonly called brain-drain. Recent college graduates are leaving on mass for other major cities and states without so much as a cursory search of opportunities at home. This is coupled by the region’s limited ability to attract talent from other places due to negative stereotypes and perceptions of a weak economy. A robust population of young, talented individuals is critical the current and future economic vitality of a region. Employers know this, but are similarly plagued by negative perceptions whereby the common thinking is that there is no talent in the region. This misperception is driving their recruiting activities, which focus on out-of-state talent. The availability of a one-stop internship resource with wrap-around programming provides a place for talent and employers to connect through internship opportunities.

Retaining Michigan’s own college graduates by engaging them in interesting work — while they are still here in Michigan — is more favorable than attracting workers from somewhere else. Internships are gateways to careers because they provide talented individuals with access to gain real-work experience and the opportunity to cultivate professional networks. They also provide employers with the opportunity to test-run talent before investing significant resources into an individual with limited fit for the employer or the position. On a large scale, connecting young people to internships holds more promise for holding on to them than any other recruitment/retention strategy. InterninMichigan.com will provide employers and organizations in the state with quick and easy access to interns from almost every university in Michigan. Prior to this effort, a single-source internship clearinghouse and system did not exist. Students and recent college graduates typically relied on traditional sources for obtaining internships and jobs, such as career placement offices, word of mouth or general employment Web sites, such as Monster.com.

The principle behind an “internships first” strategy is that an individual who interns or participates in a job co-op is more likely to be engaged with work/career opportunities in Michigan, and employed by his or her host company, or an employer within a network the intern cultivates during their internship. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employment, the percent of internships that converted to full-time employment rose from 35.6 percent in 2001 to 50.5 percent in 2008. It is also expected that a person who is committed to a position or who is employed in a particular sector will stay interested and engaged long enough to consider remaining in the state.

The second phase of Intern in Michigan – also known as Classroom to Career and includes advances to the current web-based platform and opens participation in the delivery of the tool to a host of organizations across Metro Detroit and the state. These host organizations include higher education institutions, employers, nonprofit associations, and associations of employers. Each of these participating organizations will host a web-link to Classroom to Career while also promoting their organizational goals for talent retention and attraction.

Key Metrics and Indicators

• A smart, web-based internship system capable of serving the placement of 25,000 interns by Fall 2010
• 80 percent or more Michigan colleges and universities participating in the internship program by the fall of 2010
• A minimum of 2,000 internship opportunities by spring 2010

For more information, please visit www.InternInMichigan.com.

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