The Most Successful College Job Development Program You've Never Heard of

International Business Development Consultant expanding global distribution for organizations around the world

By Nate Ward, CGBP, CITP

September 12, 2024

I work at a university. It's been my place of work for 12 years. In that time I have seen lots of ups and downs for academia. But this year my school- and many others across our country- have experienced the so-called "enrollment cliff" which ostensibly stems from the Great Recession of 2007-2008. America's colleges and universities have been forced to shutter their doors at a pace not seen in generations, if ever. The infusion of COVID dollars just dragged out the inevitable; there were just not going to be enough high school graduates to replace the outgoing class. Now, add to this deficit a rising perception among US college-age individuals that "college isn't worth its cost". What we've ended up with is an enormous challenge to keep the doors open, and maybe a renewed challenge to prove to the next generation that college is indeed worth pursuing.

In my opinion, so many colleges get caught up in the desire to focus on research, to hire professors who can speak to theory but perhaps haven't had any application in their careers. Certainly our society needs individuals who have this level of understanding and can enrich our curricula and publish the next great textbook or whitepaper. However, students want to know that college will have a direct outcome on their career goals. They'll hit the job market often with student debt. If as educators we've sent them into this world unequipped on how to perform on a job day one we've missed a key reason why students choose college in the first place.

Fortunately for a growing number of colleges there have been a few seeds planted to meet the demands of the college-as-workforce generator. And in a growing number of cases, government agencies are stepping in to help fund these initiatives.

In Ohio we've been quite fortunate to have laid the foundations for a unique internship program that's been designed to address a workforce gap near and dear to my heart. It's called the Ohio Export Internship Program. Launched in 2012 with a humble pilot cohort of 9 students at Ohio State University it has spread to six universities across Ohio, including my own center at CSU and a site I assist at Bowling Green State University. This past year we had nearly 60 students serving in internships in and around every major city in our state, and quite a few rural locations too. The other sites in our network are YSU, OSU, OU, and Dayton.

And it's not just Ohio. I'm pleased to say that people such as Rebecca L. Bellinger at the University of Maryland and Michigan Economic Development operate programs similar to our own. But there is room for this to expand.

What makes our program different?

The difference for our program - like so many answers to the hard things in life - is that it requires a lot of work, input, coordination, and collaboration across sometimes non-traditional allies. But the central effort seeks to address the number one weakness that companies tell us why they don't participate in internship programs to start: time. Companies tell us they need help, but don't have the time to hold the hand of a newbie who will essentially leave them just as they'd be getting the hang of the work. It's a big investment with little payoff and traditional internships function more like a public service by our companies. That's where our program differs. We absorb that time for the companies. Between state government, locally embedded economic development counselors, and university professors and staff we create a wraparound environment where we select, train, and place interns to work for these companies. In return, the businesses receive a motivated student who isn't starting cold on day one. They've been briefed on the work they'll do, and have received foundational instruction so they readily understand the bigger picture "why do we have to do this" which let's face it, isn't common knowledge for entry-level office workers. Our results have been nothing short of eye-popping.

Since 2012 our program has created 95 new job positions, 174 extensions, produced 250k working hours. We've recruited students from 19 different Ohio universities and placed 524 students resulting in a reported 450 new international markets, distributors, or customers. And half of our students stay with their companies beyond the internship.

These are small to mid size companies who usually don't have the bandwidth to attend big career fairs, or to take the time to attract high caliber students who have otherwise never heard of them or often their industry! What it creates then is a tight bond between companies who value the time saved and the access to talent pool not always on their radars. And for the students it's a low-stress placement in a company that can use their talents where they'll do meaningful work, while leading to a career stepping stone or a new job.

What does this mean for you? If you're in education, we would love to engage you through the NASBITE's Educational Partner program. For example, at our upcoming conference in Cleveland we'll host an educational partner roundtable. There are panel discussions and topics where educators across the country - and globe - share the mechanics of programs like this one. If you're a company in Ohio we definitely want to hear from you. If you're curious about hosting an intern for our summer program fill out this interest form. Lastly, if you happen to be a student in Ohio right now sign up today to see if you will become one of the many highly successful students to launch their career through the Ohio Export Internship Program.

Here's the part I rarely write about: What goes into the program behind the scenes?

There is a lot of time that goes into the whole process, which starts with finding the students. Since this is a state-funded program we invite students of any Ohio college or university to apply. But we're not looking for just any student. We want the best. We want students who are hungry for a position like the one we're offering. I often say to students "this is an opportunity on a silver platter - we'll do the hard work. All you have to do is get into the program!" In reality we will put them to serious work, but instead of hustling to find the right company, we want them to focus on working on the technical and soft skills employers need them to possess.

As part of the internship the students visit multiple sites, as in this 2023 visit to the Port of Cleveland

Last year for example, our CSU-based cohort received 64 applications from students from two Northeast Ohio universities. We interviewed the top 20+ candidates- students with the most work experience, high grades (min 3.0 GPA) and those with some international experience or talents such as proficiency in a foreign language. We conduct a rudimentary background check on the students. Then our team interviews these candidates to probe their motivation, poise, attitude, and potential fit to our program.

Some members of our 2023 cohort on their way to a site visit

Last fall we invited 12 students to join our regional cohort. The next step involves getting them signed up for the spring course. In our specific case, the course is open to any student to take as elective, however, the goals of the internship take precedent in how the curriculum is framed and taught. As such, the course is heavily applied in nature. The students are regularly subjected to case studies, rigorous assignments that push their knowledge (and sometimes comfort level), numerous guest speakers from our trade community, and of course, we take the students on field trips. Our past excursions have taken students to the Port of Cleveland, to manufacturers such as Skylift Inc., Oatey Company , The Lubrizol Corporation , and Eaton to name a few.

The course in Ohio is typically taught - or in some cases, co-taught- by a professor with applied international experience. In most instances the course is at least aided by if not outright taught by a trade advisor. Our team brings our work experience and our current knowledge of trade from the perspective of small to medium companies. The lectures, activities, and lessons are infused with this knowledge, and sometimes are directly coming from the mouths of the companies we seek to place them with in the following summer.

2024 OEIP intern Tabitha (center) between her supervisors Angie (left) and Mark (right) at Orbital Research in Cleveland

You see, as the class is in process, we trade advisors are concurrently recruiting companies across our state to be potential hosts for the interns. We will do a site visit where we take copious notes on the type of fit the company hopes to receive in an intern, and the kinds of projects they have in mind for that student. Of course we also explain how the company can take advantage of our state's 50% grant to reimburse the student's wages.

2024 OEIP intern Sonny (right) with his colleague at Process Technology in Willoughby

Once we have qualified all the eligible companies that's when the real fun happens! Our six sites go through an extensive process to weigh the attributes of our students against the needs of the prospective host companies. We have to consider ramifications of possible student relocation (which a small but steady number of students do each summer), career fit both for students and company desire, skill set, and personality fit for both parties. It's a time consuming process, and certainly one that has evolved greatly over the past decade.

Finally the students are provided their match before the end of the semester and each is debriefed on the work they'll be asked to do over their internship. We encourage them to meet their supervisor before the end of the semester and to prepare themselves, especially if a relocation is necessary. Shortly after the summer internship begins, the trade advisory team checks in with the intern and continues doing so throughout the summer in case they require further assistance, or if they and their host company wants to engage in any state-based export resource such as our International Market Support Program.

2024 OEIP intern Ethan on the job at MTA Lines in Berea

I've witnessed our interns do some amazing things during their internships. We've had students refine and even write export compliance manuals (with assistance). Several interns have traveled domestically and even internationally with their host. Our interns have been sent to Saudi Arabia, England, Canada, China, Peru and some others I'm forgetting. They've been charged with finding and vetting new distributors, developing marketing literature, crafting social media posts, and translation work. And for the majority, our interns are at ease just helping out the company any way they can, even if it's doing basic inventory counts.

In 2021 the Ohio Export Internship Program was recognized by NASBITE International for the prestigious Advancing International Trade Award, a lofty distinction from the leading international trade education body in the USA. Our hope is that this program continues not only to return dividends to our state's workforce, but it also enhances the output and success of our companies. By the same token, if it continues to be a model for other states to advance their economies and communities there would be no greater honor.

Key links: State of Ohio Export Internship Program official homepage

Cleveland State University OEIP Student Application Page