University of Wisconsin Oshkosh students are among those who will benefit from the Career Ready Internship grant recently awarded by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation.
UW Oshkosh will use the $448,500 grant to create new paid internships for juniors and seniors who don’t receive enough financial aid to cover college costs. The grant will offer students the opportunity to gain invaluable experiences through internships in their fields of study, said Jaime Page-Stadler, UW Oshkosh director of Career Services.
UW Oshkosh is one of 33 colleges and universities in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio to receive the more than $12 million in Career Ready Internship grant funds awarded by Great Lakes. The Career Ready Internship program began as a pilot with 19 Wisconsin colleges during the 2013-14 academic year—UW Oshkosh was one of those institutions.
“The Great Lakes Career Ready Internship Grant will provide students a competitive wage and professional experience as they gain the critical skills needed to transition into the workplace,” Page-Stadler said. “During the three-year time period, the grant will pay 219 student interns.”
“Paid internships benefit students, colleges and employers,” said Richard D. George, Great Lakes president and chief executive officer. “Students gain meaningful workplace skills and are more likely to earn degrees and use their internship experiences to help secure good jobs upon graduation. Colleges will see increased graduation and job placement rates, and employers gain a pipeline to fresh talent. It’s a win-win-win.”
The new three-year grants require colleges to make an escalating cash match, which will encourage institutional sustainability. Great Lakes believes partnerships between colleges and employers will strengthen as the shared benefit becomes a shared commitment to cover an increasing percentage of funding for internships by the end of the grant period.
About Great Lakes: Dedicated to making college education a reality since 1967.
Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates was established as a nonprofit group focused on a single objective: helping students nationwide prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education and student loan repayment. As a leading student loan guarantor and servicer, Great Lakes has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to provide assistance and repayment planning to more than 8 million borrowers—as well as assistance to colleges and lenders nationwide. The group’s earnings support one of the largest and most respected education philanthropy programs in the country. Since 2006, Great Lakes has committed nearly $154 million in grant funding to promote higher education access and completion for students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students. For additional information, visit home.mygreatlakes.org.
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