The career services team at the UW College of Engineering and Applied Science’s Susan
McCormack Center for Student Success work with companies across the region to help
facilitate student job opportunities before and after graduation. Here, students who
recently traveled to southeast Wyoming during the “Live Local, Work Local” outreach
trip visited several high-profile employers. (Tyler Grabner Photo)
The University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Science career services
branch is offering the first-ever “Winternship” opportunity during the upcoming 2020
winter break.
The career services team at the college is a part of the larger career services entity
at UW, also known as ACES (Advising, Career and Exploratory Studies), which helps
connect students with internships and job alignment after graduation.
Following the New Year’s holiday, students from certain majors can participate in
an experiential job shadow for up to three weeks at some of the region’s top engineering
and applied science employers. Job shadowing ranges from observing computer programming
to CNC (computer numerical control) machining, civil construction project management
and advanced manufacturing.
Tyler Grabner, internship coordinator at the college’s Susan McCormack Center for
Student Success, arranged to have several employers participate and hopes this inaugural
year of the program will build momentum.
“We hope this opportunity allows students to gain exposure in the field they are studying,”
Grabner says. “This program is small this year; however, we hope that it becomes a
university-wide tradition in the coming years.”
After the implementation of the Tier-1 Engineering Initiative at UW, the job placement
rate for engineering students after graduation has grown from 49 percent to 88 percent
in only five years. Several factors -- including a sophisticated curricula, world-class
faculty and facilities, and new resources such as outreach from career services --
have contributed to this growth.
Due to the short duration and nature of job shadowing, students participating in this
year’s Winternship won’t be compensated and aren’t eligible for course credit. However,
Grabner encourages students who haven’t yet lined up a summer internship to participate.
He adds that engineering and applied science internships can be competitive, and it’s
important for students seeking work with top employers to get as much experience as
possible.
“Our students are going to gain invaluable experience that can help bolster their
resume,” he says. “This could help set their qualifications above other candidates
and show future employers that they take initiative when searching for a competitive
internship.”
The following companies are seeking students in the following majors to apply and
become part of the opportunity:
-- Handel Information Technologies: Computer science majors.
-- Simon Contractors: Civil engineering and construction management majors.
-- Avvid Corp.: Mechanical engineering majors.
-- Tungsten Parts: All engineering and applied science majors welcome.
For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/winternship. Students also can email resumes to tgrabner@uwyo.edu to apply and are encouraged to submit early, as spots will fill up quickly with each
employer.
