UWG’s Student Externship Program

The University of West Georgia has brought back their student externship program. This exciting opportunity gives students a valuable experience to step foot into their future career field for a week during spring break. 

The Student Externship Program was created in partnership with the University of West Georgia Career Services department and the university’s Alumni Relations. This program is a unique career development program designed for students to explore their career field during the week of spring break. Megan Tait, the Assistant Director of Student Employment and Experiential Learning, believes this is a great program that benefits students in every way. 

 “This program allows students to get a fulfilling intern experience during a shorter period of time. They gain knowledge and skills that will carry on through their career,” Tait said. 

The first step is getting employers and professionals to commit and become sponsors for the program. These sponsors vary each year, but include many local employers such as Southwire. The list of sponsors grows each year as more employers become aware of the program.  The lists of employers are then marketed out to the students who are interested in participating. Not only do students reap the benefits of taking part in this program, so do the sponsors themselves. Spending a week with the student intern, allows for the sponsor to market their organization and company. They also have the opportunity to help the intern make career decisions, teach them, give them real world experience and skills. Sponsors could find their future employees through their partnership with the university. 

Once students apply to the program and are accepted, they then go through interviews just as if they were applying for a job. After this, students get the opportunity to choose their top three professionals they would like to be matched with for the week. After the set of interviews, students are matched with an employer, professional and or UWG alumni that best fit their future career field. Many students on campus were excited to hear about the opportunity. Students are always looking to find ways to get involved and get their foot in the door. While the externship is unpaid, it allows for students to get an insider’s view into what they could step into after graduation. While deciding the path a student wants to take after graduation can be a difficult task, this career development opportunity gives students a chance to explore, gain knowledge and help guide them to a decision about their future. 

“The best way to experience what you might want to do is to just dive right in and get some hands-on experience,” Tait said. “This is a great opportunity for our students to get in there and spend a week with what they might be interested in and want to do as a career.” 

There are over 44 opportunities coming from 30 different companies for students in this year’s program. The University of West Georgia’s Career services website has information on the many ways to get involved with the Student Externship Program as either a sponsor or a student.