The University of Memphis has joined up with Cook Systems International, a Memphis-based information technology (IT) solutions firm, to form the CollegeCareerCorps program, which gives U of M students majoring in a technology-based field the opportunity to acquire real-world job experience.
Students in the program are given entry-level positions in one of Cook's professional technology teams. They work with IT professionals on actual critical solution projects, in real-world time. Supervised by an experienced professional, students are given the opportunity to get practical job experience in their field of study.
Students in the program work around 20 hours a week and continue to work with the same client partner for as long as two years.
Currently, CollegeCareerCorps has more than 20 U of M students placed in technology positions.
According to Kenneth Kinney, Vice President of Recruiting for Cook Systems International Inc., the real-world experience that students in the program acquire is a decisive asset to possess when entering the professional arena.
"IT Technical Solutions is unmatched in its ability to give students professional skill and practical knowledge," Kinney said. "They already have an idea of how to adjust to job settings and on-the-spot situations."
Kinney said that the graduates of the program have had great success in their post-academic professional lives.
"Instead of coming out of school with no practical work experience other than working on a computer in The U of M's computer lab, students get to be part of something real and important to an actual company," Kinney said.
Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, professor and chairman of the Department of Management Information Systems, has been closely involved with the CollegeCareerCorps program for over a year.
"Many students are not only a full-time student, but also have a full-time job," Dhaliwal said. "A lot of our majors have jobs as waiters or pool cleaners, by the time they graduate, they have had four years of work experience that has nothing to do with their degree. This gives students a chance to connect their studies to their work."
According to Dhaliwal, students have gained more than just valuable job experience by working in the program.
"A lot of the students end up getting hired by the client company they do their work at during their internship," Dhaliwal said.
Most of Cook System's clients are major fortune 500 companies.
"We work with real, big-name companies," Kinney said. "It's not filing papers and making coffee, I would call it a 'super' internship."
The CollegeCareerCorps program incorporates students from a variety of academic fields, such as students from the MIS Department in the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, the Electrical Engineering Department in the Herff College of Engineering and the Computer Science Department in the College of Arts and Sciences.
"Having this kind of experience can be invaluable when entering into the work force," Kinney said. "It's definitely a launch pad for anybody's career."
