When
Campus Philly launched 10 years ago, urban life in Philadelphia was a very different experience. Back then, the group's greatest concern was "making [the city] cool and interesting to students, to make them want to stay," says program manager Jen Devor.
That effort largely involved a busy schedule of marketing and outreach efforts, such as the organization's annual College Day on the Parkway, now known as
CollegeFest.
"Now, students
want to stay," argues Devor. "It's just a matter of getting them jobs, and giving them the ability to set down roots here."
Campus Philly's
Online Internship Fair is one way Devor and her colleagues hope to accomplish that goal. Running from March 24 through 28, the virtual fair operates via the organization's
online job board, which is open for business year-round and free to students at Campus Philly's
31 partner schools. But, as Devor explains, the twice-annual Internship Fair "is a scheduled time and place for employers and students to meet."
Along with the volunteer, internship and job listings that students can find on Campus Philly's
Careers site year-round, hundreds more internship opportunities are made available during the fair. Positions in the technology and creative economy fields tend to be especially well-represented.
The group's long-running efforts to retain smart students seem to be paying dividends; according to Campus Philly's research, 70 percent of Philadelphia-area college students with summer internships now stay in the region after graduation.
Writer: Dan Eldridge
Source: Jen Devor, Campus Philly