October 7, 2004
Technical Assistance Program creates jobs, fights brain drain
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's Technical Assistance Program has created or preserved nearly 4,100 Indiana jobs since its inception in 1986, according to the program's recently released annual report.
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TAP supports Indiana companies by making a team of faculty, staff and students available to offer free short-term assistance with product development, advanced manufacturing, information technology and management issues. TAP has completed more than 5,300 assistance projects to date and worked with more than 450 companies in 2003-04.
Victor L. Lechtenberg, Purdue's vice provost for engagement, said TAP is making great strides toward Purdue's mission of being a strong economic partner with the state of Indiana.
"The Technical Assistance Program has been especially effective in serving life sciences, information technology and the manufacturing sector, where TAP has directed more than two-thirds of its services," Lechtenberg said. "Many businesses have benefited from dramatic improvements. By connecting even more businesses to the expertise and vast resources at Purdue, we are confident that TAP will continue to improve the competitive positions of Indiana companies and provide Indiana a competitive edge in the global market."
The state of Indiana provides approximately 75 percent of TAP funding, more than $1 million annually. Service fees supply the remainder of TAP's operating funds.
The economic impact of these partnerships between Purdue and Indiana businesses, along with state and local governments, has equaled $63 million in capital investments and $296 million in increased sales since 1986, according to the report.
Another TAP mission is to increase the number of Purdue graduates who accept jobs in Indiana. TAP sponsors the High-Tech Job Fair for Indiana Companies, annually attended by more than 1,000 students. This year's job fair will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 27 in the Purdue Memorial Union ballrooms.
TAP director David McKinnis said representatives of approximately 50 Indiana companies, including Red Gold Inc., Cook Inc., Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Fairfield Manufacturing, will be available to meet and interview potential employees and interns.
"TAP is committed to helping Indiana employers connect with Purdue's technically savvy and highly skilled students," McKinnis said. "We also want to ensure that Purdue students are aware of the many career prospects available right here in Indiana. The High Tech Job Fair is a prime opportunity for both parties."
Additional companies can register online.
Through the job fair and other methods, TAP also has placed more than 850 students in summer internships since 1986. The civil engineering consulting firm of Lawson-Fisher Associates in South Bend, Ind., for example, assigned Purdue civil engineering interns Scott Richmond of South Bend, Ind., and Kim Boner of Mishawaka, Ind., to assist with field surveying, water quality sampling and structural design, and quantity calculations for bridge projects.
"My internship taught me many things related to the technical side of bridge design," Richmond said. "I also learned a great deal about professionalism in the office, organization and documentation of our work, and about the life cycle of a design project and how it is managed."
McKinnis said helping Purdue students find internships or jobs and implementing state-of-the-art technologies to increase operational efficiency all help to improve the state economy.
"By investing in TAP in 1986, Indiana invested in its economic future," McKinnis said. "I believe this investment will pay big dividends for years to come."
Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu
Sources: Victor L. Lechtenberg, (765) 494-9095, vll@purdue.edu
David McKinnis, (765) 494-6258,
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: A copy of the annual report is available online or by contacting the TAP office at (765) 494-6258. A complete listing of companies registered for the High Tech Job Fair is also available online.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue students Kim Boner of Mishawaka, Ind., and Scott Richmond of South Bend, Ind., completed civil engineering internships last summer with the consulting firm of Lawson-Fisher Associates of South Bend, Ind. Their work included field surveying, structural design and quality calculations on bridge projects, and water quality sampling. The internships were arranged through Purdue's Technical Assistance Program, which recently released its 2003-04 annual report. (Purdue photo/John Underwood)
A publication-quality photograph is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2004/TAP-lawson-fisher.jpg
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