NEWS

BALTIMORE COLLEGETOWN NETWORK RELAUNCHES UPGRADED INTERNSHIP WEBSITE

 One-stop site for internship postings reaches students at 14 area colleges

Baltimore, Md., February 1, 2011  --  Baltimore Collegetown Network is relaunching its upgraded internship website on Tuesday, February 1. The website, which can be accessed at www.BaltimoreCollegetown.org/intern, is a one-stop database where employers can post internship listings in a central location for free. The listings are available to students at Collegetown's 14-member campuses in the Baltimore area.

 This comprehensive college internship website is the only one of its kind in Maryland.

The site was established in 2008 as a way to assist employers in posting internships in one location that could be accessed easily by Baltimore-area college students. An employer survey in 2010 and feedback from student users assisted the Baltimore Collegetown Network in making the site upgrades. The website is sponsored by a grant from the Baltimore County Government.

"The new internship website is more robust and user-friendly and includes updates recommended by employers and students," explained Kristen McGuire, executive director of the Baltimore Collegetown Network. "It will make internship connections that will help businesses accomplish goals cost-effectively and give students the experience they need to find jobs after graduation."

Among the new additions to the site is an employer login area, allowing companies to save and repost internship listings from semester to semester.

Employer profiles have been added also, allowing businesses to create pages with company information, logos and links back to corporate websites.

A new addition specifically for students is an advanced search and sort option, allowing internship information to be filtered by date posted, location, position, company, paid/unpaid, hours per week and more.

Organizations as diverse as Baltimore County Government, Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, Y of Central Maryland, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Space Telescope Science Institute have posted internships to the site.

The website offers helpful information to employers about the internship process, from what qualifies as an internship to writing a good internship posting that benefits the company to working with college career centers, paid vs. non-paid internships and the legalities of hiring in Maryland.

Rita A. Mayor, SPHR, vice president, human resources, at DAP, praised the efficiency and easy use of the internship website. "DAP used Baltimore Collegetown for advertising our nine summer internship positions. Posting the positions to Collegetown's website was easy and an excellent way to communicate to the college students.  Qualified and enthusiastic applicants started contacting us immediately."

Students also praise the site for the numerous internship opportunities available and its efficiency. The website also provides students with tips on what to expect from an internship, writing a resume and cover letter, contacting sites, what to do the day of the interview, appropriate ways to follow up and networking. Student success stories are also posted.

Molly Boyd, a junior political science major at Towson University who is interning at Baltimore County Economic Development's Conference and Tourism Program this semester, explained her path to her internship. "A lot of my professors and advisors at Towson University referred me to the Baltimore Collegetown Network website because of the variety of information it provides. The Collegetown internship website is organized well," she said.

"The three most important elements to an internship-where it is, what kind of position it is and a company description-were easy to find and made the search less stressful. I've been recommending the site to my friends who are looking for internships," Ms. Boyd added.

From the college career development office perspective, Baltimore Collegetown Network's internship website expands individual campus center offerings.

Maureen Marshall, associate director of the career development office at Goucher College, said, "The Baltimore Collegetown Network is a great resource for students interested in local internships. There is a variety of experiences offered, and it is a great compliment to the resources that an individual school's own career center provides." She added, "I direct students to it in addition to the listings that Goucher offers.  From nonprofit to communication internships, there is something for almost every major."

The Baltimore Collegetown Network is a consortium of 14 colleges, which includes 120,000 students, $17.2 billion in economic activity and more than 60,000 employees, that works to attract, engage and retain students and raise the profile of Baltimore as a college town. Key initiatives include joint marketing campaigns, the Collegetown Shuttle, internship and student programs and the new Baltimore LeaderShape program to engage students in the community.