{"id":1473,"date":"2016-12-02T19:37:17","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T19:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mtwc.org\/?p=1473"},"modified":"2016-12-02T19:37:17","modified_gmt":"2016-12-02T19:37:17","slug":"conexus_interns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/2016\/12\/02\/conexus_interns\/","title":{"rendered":"Logistics Internship Program Converts Students into Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_image-0088f24bb33fe5e43a1fb4b0dc8a1d7c\">\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-0088f24bb33fe5e43a1fb4b0dc8a1d7c .av-caption-image-overlay-bg{\nopacity:0.4;\nbackground-color:#000000;\n}\n.avia-image-container.av-av_image-0088f24bb33fe5e43a1fb4b0dc8a1d7c .av-image-caption-overlay-center{\ncolor:#ffffff;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='avia-image-container av-av_image-0088f24bb33fe5e43a1fb4b0dc8a1d7c av-styling- avia-align-center  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-first  noHover av-overlay-on-hover'  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class=\"avia-image-container-inner\"><div class=\"avia-image-overlay-wrap\"><div class=\"av-image-caption-overlay\"><div class=\"av-caption-image-overlay-bg\"><\/div><div class=\"av-image-caption-overlay-position\"><div class=\"av-image-caption-overlay-center\"><p>Going into its third year, the Conexus Intern Program has grown from 30 companies employing 84 students in 2015 to more than 80 companies and more than 260 students expected in the summer of 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image- avia-img-lazy-loading-not- avia_image' src=\"http:\/\/mtwc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Conexus-Interns.png\" alt='' title=''   itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\"  \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-35972167d9f102c5ddaec0c531c98b9e'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Ben Hebbe believes that advanced manufacturing and logistics has an image problem. \u201cOur main goal with students,\u201d he said in a recent interview, &#8220;is to make them aware of this industry.\u201d To do this, Conexus Indiana has created a standard-setting high school curriculum and summer internship program.<\/p>\n<p>Hebbe is a Workforce Development Manager for Conexus Indiana, a non-profit consortium of the state\u2019s advanced manufacturers and logistics (AML) industries. He is involved in making its internship program a success.<\/p>\n<p>Going into its third year, the Conexus Intern Program has grown from 30 companies employing 84 students in 2015 to more than 80 companies and more than 260 students expected in the summer of 2017. The impact on the students in the 2016 program was substantial: 80% said they were more likely to pursue a full-time AML career with 95% finding the internship experience valuable.<\/p>\n<p>Going into its third year, the Conexus Intern Program has grown from 30 companies employing 84 students in 2015 to more than 80 companies and more than 260 students expected in the summer of 2017.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_fourth-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_fourth-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-moz-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_fourth-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_one_half  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding column-top-margin'   ><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_half-89ae96657e40c305e68d8e75f0c14e66\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_half-89ae96657e40c305e68d8e75f0c14e66{\nborder-width:1px;\nborder-color:#08833d;\nborder-style:solid;\nborder-radius:18px 18px 18px 18px;\n-webkit-border-radius:18px 18px 18px 18px;\n-moz-border-radius:18px 18px 18px 18px;\npadding:6px 12px 6px 12px;\nbackground-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.18);\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_half-89ae96657e40c305e68d8e75f0c14e66 av_one_half  avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_one_fourth  call-out-box flex_column_div  av-animated-generic fade-in column-top-margin'   ><div   data-autoplay='true'  data-interval='10'  data-animation='fade'  data-show_slide_delay='30'  class='avia-content-slider-element-container av-av_content_slider-a44b79ff578874472f4697c0c9da5461 avia-content-slider-element-slider avia-content-slider avia-smallarrow-slider avia-content-slider-active avia-content-slider-odd  avia-builder-el-4  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-content-slider1'><div class='avia-smallarrow-slider-heading  no-content-slider-heading '><div class='new-special-heading'>&nbsp;<\/div><div class='avia-slideshow-arrows avia-slideshow-controls' ><a href='#prev' class='prev-slide ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue87c' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  tabindex='-1'>Previous<\/a><a href='#next' class='next-slide ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue87d' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  tabindex='-1'>Next<\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"avia-content-slider-inner\"><div class=\"slide-entry-wrap\"><section class='slide-entry av-av_content_slide-4cf6502a7200687f3b3fb40bb3c5215f flex_column av_fullwidth post-entry slide-entry-overview slide-loop-1 slide-parity-odd  first'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><h3 class='slide-entry-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" >In 2016...<\/h3><div class='slide-entry-excerpt entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>79 companies hosted Conexus Interns; 95% said they will again.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"slide-entry-wrap\"><section class='slide-entry av-av_content_slide-4cf6502a7200687f3b3fb40bb3c5215f flex_column av_fullwidth post-entry slide-entry-overview slide-loop-2 slide-parity-odd  first'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><h3 class='slide-entry-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" >In 2016...<\/h3><div class='slide-entry-excerpt entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>508 students submitted applications from 117 schools.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"slide-entry-wrap\"><section class='slide-entry av-av_content_slide-4cf6502a7200687f3b3fb40bb3c5215f flex_column av_fullwidth post-entry slide-entry-overview slide-loop-3 slide-parity-odd  first'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><h3 class='slide-entry-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" >In 2016...<\/h3><div class='slide-entry-excerpt entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>230 students completed the program.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"slide-entry-wrap\"><section class='slide-entry av-av_content_slide-4cf6502a7200687f3b3fb40bb3c5215f flex_column av_fullwidth post-entry slide-entry-overview slide-loop-4 slide-parity-odd  post-entry-last  first'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><h3 class='slide-entry-title entry-title '  itemprop=\"headline\" >In 2016...<\/h3><div class='slide-entry-excerpt entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>Students attended an overnight, two-day summit at Purdue University about education and career opportunities in AML, while improving soft skills and creating a sense of community with peers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_fourth-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_fourth-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-moz-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_fourth-0aa7055fe62c3622faec82866afbaeb2 av_one_fourth  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding column-top-margin'   ><\/div>\n\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-av_one_full-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c\">\n.flex_column.av-av_one_full-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-webkit-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n-moz-border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div class='flex_column av-av_one_full-6126cab7d8fab8d08143dd2dacdf673c av_one_full  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_social_share  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding column-top-margin'   ><section  class='av_textblock_section av-av_textblock-35972167d9f102c5ddaec0c531c98b9e'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p>To help assure that they have the background needed to be effective, all interns must have completed the first year of Conexus\u2019 Hire Tech or Project Lead The Way pre-engineering curriculum before starting their internships. Hire Tech is a two-year AML curriculum for high school students and others. Conexus developed Hire Tech in 2012 in collaboration with Indiana manufacturing and logistics companies, a community college, and the Indiana Department of Education.<\/p>\n<p>Students learn concepts of safety, quality, process improvement, basic Lean theory, and the current technology in today\u2019s AML facilities. More than 2,000 Indiana students have participated in Hire Tech courses, to date. Conexus just received a major grant from Indiana\u2019s Department of Workforce Development to refresh the Hire Tech curriculum, keeping it up to date with current practices.<\/p>\n<p>The education does not stop there. Conexus has developed an internship program for high school Hire Tech participants. This program, called Conexus Interns, was started in 2015 and expanded state-wide in 2016. Key aspects of the program are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The program\u2019s focus is on converting students into employees after high school graduation or post-secondary education.<\/li>\n<li>Conexus screens the student applicants before forwarding candidates to employers.<\/li>\n<li>Conexus guides companies through the relatively easy process of hiring high-school-aged workers.<\/li>\n<li>Conexus helps plan and structure the internship.<\/li>\n<li>The interns are funded at $9 an hour and work full time for six weeks, typically in June and July.<\/li>\n<li>Funding is available for 100% of intern compensation in the first year of company participation and 50% for the second.<\/li>\n<li>The interns are given opportunities to network with each other at two, all-intern meetings.<\/li>\n<li>On-site mentoring provided by the company helps strengthen the interns\u2019 connections with their employers and coworkers.<\/li>\n<li>Conexus thoroughly screens potential interns. Among the requirements are: a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better on a 4.0 scale (3.0 on a 5.0 scale) and a strong interest in pursuing AML as a career.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hebbe pointed out the importance of mentorship as part of this program. Since the internship experience is, for many students, their first introduction to working life, an on-site mentor \u201cprovides advice and counsel for the softer skills needed for the workplace,\u201d he said. Additionally, the mentorship experience helps companies by providing their full-time employees opportunities to practice communication and team building through their interactions with, and mentorship of, the interns.<\/p>\n<p>Laura Hornback, HRIS Specialist at Kauffman Engineering, Inc., reflected on the company\u2019s experience with interns. \u201cIt was amazing. The interns got a lot of work done and their energy helped boost morale.\u201d<br \/>\nJust the presence of the interns at a company can have a positive effect. Some companies have reported that their senior employees were motivated to go out of their way to find new opportunities to train the interns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur experience with the Conexus interns was great,\u201d said Susan Murray Carlock, RN, Director of Human Resources at Mursix Corporation. \u201cThis was the first time we had interns who were high school age and weren\u2019t sure what to expect. We were more than pleased with each individual and the overall experience. We were pleasantly surprised by their level of maturity and how focused they were when working within the various departments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mursix hosted four students who rotated through various departments such as Engineering, Quality, New Tooling, Die Maintenance, PC&amp;L, and Shipping. This was designed to provide the interns an opportunity to gain enough knowledge to assist them in making more informed decisions regarding higher education opportunities. At the end of the internship period, Carlock met with all of the department heads. Every one of them said they were extremely impressed with the interns and looked forward to the opportunity to welcome them as future Mursix employees.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box av-av_social_share-981f7761336080d54c04d7ac30ef78f7 av-social-sharing-box-default  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-last  av-social-sharing-box-fullwidth'><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Going into its third year, the Conexus Intern Program has grown from 30 companies employing 84 students in 2015 to more than 80 companies and more than 260 students expected in the summer of 2017. Conexus Indiana is a non-profit consortium of the state\u2019s advanced manufacturers and logistics (AML) industries. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[25,35,37,40,66,68],"class_list":["post-1473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","category-success-stories","tag-curriculum","tag-indiana","tag-internships","tag-k-12-education","tag-summer","tag-supply-chain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1473"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3709,"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1473\/revisions\/3709"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtwc.cee.wisc.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}