With graduation only a few months away students begin thier job searchs. Students will leave and also stay in Kent and even Ohio; however, many will move to other states in the U.S. for better opportunites. Career Services is associated with programs that

Credit: Steve Schirra

We all know that home is where the heart is. But for many college students and graduates in Ohio, home is also where the jobs are.

Or at least that is the goal for several job and internship programs geared towards employment-hungry college students. With more and more graduates leaving Ohio to seek work throughout the country and beyond, programs like ClevelandIntern.net and the Third Frontier Internship Program are striving to keep grads here instead.

Julie Stieber, associate director of the Career Services Center, said Career Services is affiliated with several programs that can help pair “good, quality students with good, quality jobs” in Ohio.

One such program is ClevelandIntern.net. The program works with employers in Northeast Ohio to help find local college interns in a variety of majors. Interested employers can post internship positions either on ClevelandIntern.net or through Flash Forward, the Career Services job search website.

Ami Hollis, assistant director for Career Employment in the Career Services Center, works and builds relationships with employers through programs like ClevelandIntern.net.

“Some of the employers are particular about the type of intern they would like to hire,” said Hollis. “We’ll have employers who are even looking specifically for Kent State students, usually because they are graduates of Kent themselves.”

Along with Kent, ClevelandIntern.net works with 14 other universities in 13 counties throughout the state. Other participating schools include the University of Akron, Cleveland State University and Youngstown State University.

Similar to ClevelandIntern.net is the Third Frontier Internship Program (3FIP). This program, which is hosted through ClevelandIntern.net, focuses on helping students locate jobs and internships at high-tech, well-paying businesses in Ohio.

“This is another program that wants to keep grads in Ohio and find them internships that lead to jobs, but it’s more technology-focused,” said Stieber.

The program accepts students from over 90 different majors, all of which fall into the concentrations of either math, science, engineering or information technology. Students interested in the program must register with ClevelandIntern.net and complete a survey before posting their resume online.

And despite the popularity in seeking jobs and internships outside the Buckeye State, these programs may start to appeal to a wider audience in the near future. According to Stiebler, many students come to Career Services with hopes of staying close to home.

“When we are helping students look for jobs, sometimes we’ll say, ‘here is this great opportunity in another state, you should go live there’ and the students will pass it up,” Stiebler said. “They would rather stay with who and what they know. Family matters to these people. That is the reality of the culture of Northeast Ohio.”

Both Hollis and Stieber stressed the importance of internships as a way for students to find employment during and after college. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 44.7% of interns were hired after completing their internships in 2004.

“We’ll have students (who) come in and say, ‘I love my major, but I have no idea what to do with it,'” said Stieber. “If the student is in a program that doesn’t require an internship, we will usually suggest that option. We think any kind of work experience, even something simple like student employment on campus, can help build a career.”

Hollis suggests that students interested in internships or jobs create an account on Flash Forward (http://flashforward.erecruiting.com/er/security/login.jsp). Students can search for jobs and internships, upload a resume and cover letter and find out about career fairs on campus.

Students can also obtain career advice, have their resume critiqued or practice interviewing through a mock interview at the Career Services Center. Drop-in advising is also available Monday through Friday from 1-4:30.

Contact features reporter Michelle Poje at [email protected].