Unlock your potential with work-based learning

August 30, 2023

Internships can be an integral part of your collegiate experience. Here at Jackson College students for credit can go through our Work Based Learning program.

“It means students in their program of study can go to a site to be able to put what they have learned in the classroom into practical application,” Work Based Learning and Career Services Coordinator April Grella said. “My hope is that a student can really find passion and purpose and if it’s not something they enjoy it can be that pivot point for them.”

Programs enriched by internships

Programs that require internships include:

  • Accounting
  • Agriculture
  • Business Administration
  • Computer Networking
  • Computer Support
  • Cyber Security
  • Energy Management Systems
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Executive Assistant
  • Graphic Design
  • Networking Specialist
  • Software Engineering
  • Sports Management
  • E-Sport Management

Guiding your journey

The best way for students to find an internship through Jackson College is to reach out to April Grella and the Employment Hub as soon as possible. She said you can start as soon as you are enrolled in your pathway because of the time it takes to find the right placement for you.

“It’s something we’re going to have to work together to figure out what might be the best fit for you,” she said. “Do you have any travel boundaries? Is there a particular place you’ve always dreamed of working? Then together we can work on contacting the employer and making sure you have a resume or cover letter in place. It’s something that can take at least a semester to roll out so the sooner you get in contact with me the better but I’m there every single step of the way to alleviate any worries or concerns.”

Unlocking future success

Across the United States, 70 percent of interns are hired at the same company they interned with following the internship. Former interns are 15 percent less likely to be unemployed and earn 6 percent more than students who did not intern.

“Employers get to have the new talent that’s coming right out of Jackson College. They get to experience all of the stuff that we are building into our students,” Grella said. “They get to see how dedicated they are and how serious we take our students having those soft skills to make them career-ready. Our students get to experience something that is going to make them ready for the workforce and to really make sure their resume is something to be proud of. Our faculty get to see their hard work really making a difference.”

You can e-mail April Grella at GrellaAprilS@sumarianetworks.com or 517-990-1381. The office is located at Bert Walker Hall Room 124 near the Center for Student Success.