January 10, 2008

Purdue summer interns available for interviews

Purdue interns
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Employers can initiate the intern recruiting process by registering on the program's Web site at https://www.purdue.edu /TAP/intern or by calling the TAP office at (765) 496-9792. After registering, employers will receive resumes from qualified students. Purdue staff will assist with scheduling students for interviews through Friday, April 25.

Interns will be available for work at the conclusion of the spring semester on Monday, May 12, and can remain on the job through Friday, Aug. 15. Students and employers negotiate salaries.

Since the pool of available students shrinks as the semester progresses, Randy Hountz, the program's associate director, recommends employers contact his staff as soon as possible.

"We can help Indiana companies find the ideal intern and save them time in the hiring process," Hountz said. "The sooner employers conduct interviews, the better the chance they will find the most qualified candidate for each position. Companies also have had great success in finding permanent employees through our internship program."

Because of their diverse areas of expertise, students can help in areas such as product development, computer-aided design, Web site development, plant layout, software selection, construction inspection and surveying, computer programming and production process improvement.

"Interns can be of great help on short-term projects for which companies might not otherwise have the resources," Hountz said. "They also can provide a fresh perspective on company processes that can lead to significant improvements."

Last summer, Baxter BioPharma Solutions of Bloomington, Ind. hired six Purdue interns to help its facility improve documentation flow, reduce idle time and eliminate waste.

"Historically, industrial engineers are the experts in the area of lean manufacturing, and Purdue is the only university within 100 miles to offer industrial engineering and industrial technology-related degrees," said Bradley Yowell, the company's operational excellence project leader. "The interns we hired from Purdue not only have the textbook background in these principles, but they also can apply those ideas to real manufacturing situations. We're fortunate that we were able to get that caliber of people. They have paid for themselves many times over, and we hope to have some of them back for permanent positions."

Since 1988, more than 900 undergraduate and graduate engineering, technology and management students have worked for approximately 500 Hoosier employers through the summer intern program. The program also provides access to Purdue's faculty expertise for both students and employers.

In addition to providing interns, TAP provides Indiana businesses and health-care providers with year-round technical assistance for performance improvement. In the 2006-06 fiscal year, the program served 413 clients in 69 counties. Its efforts led to the creation of 547 jobs and had a total sales impact of approximately $70 million.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources: Randy Hountz, (765) 494-0766, rhountz@purdue.edu

Bradley Yowell, (812) 355-2930, bradley_yowell@baxter.com

Sheana Reigle, TAP summer intern coordinator, (765) 496-9792, intern@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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