PYP Summer Internship

…part of our 2006 Ballsy Plan III

PENSACOLA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ANNOUNCES SUMMER 2007 INTERNSHIP PROGRAM, URGES COLLEGE STUDENTS TO APPLY

Come summer, college students will be sweating a different type of heat: the pressure to land summer employment. It can feel like a Herculean task for those without contacts.  However, a joint effort through the Pensacola Young Professionals, the University of West Florida and the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce has announced plans for Internship Pensacola.  This program will provide local college students with valuable internship opportunities during their summer semester and is easily accessed online.

“Our goal is to make this a fun transition to the real world,” says Jason Crawford, Economic Development Chair of the Pensacola Young Professionals. “Internship Pensacola may lead to future jobs, an added benefit for local students.  It’s hard to find work if you don’t know businesspeople.”

Internship Pensacola is a 12-week program, which gives students the opportunity to work with their choice of various local businesses. Students will receive real life experience and 6-9 academic credit hours towards completion of their degree while earning money. In addition, students will engage in social events that showcase Pensacola.

“It’s a great opportunity to create a talent pool,” says Leslie Cagle, Chair of Internship Pensacola. “Our internship program gives us a chance to retain and attract talented people in Pensacola. Having local talent is as important for the community as it is for local businesses; it’s time we stopped exporting our greatest resource, our young talent.”

The program came about through the diligent efforts of PYP, UWF and the Chamber. Each group was able to leverage their business relationships to find paid internships for students interested in any number of fields, from marketing to accounting to web programming.  Interested employers are encouraged to submit applications for their internships on the site InternshipPensacola.com by January 31, 2007.

“As outlined in the Chamber’s strategic plan conducted by TIP Strategies, the community’s economic success will be largely based on our ability to attract and retain young, talented people,” says Charles Wood, Senior Vice President of Economic Development for the Chamber. ” The Chamber is proud to be a partner with PYP in this effort and we look forward to seeing this program grow its participating businesses and university partners throughout the region.”

The objective of Internship Pensacola is to retain young talent within our community, so that Pensacola’s business and social environments can grow and thrive. “For our community,” says Dr. Edward Ranelli, Dean, UWF College of Business, “the bottom line is that internships are an excellent way to cultivate relationships that last long after the summer ends.”