While summer seems far off, 2018 Heavy Construction Equipment (HCE) technician intern recruiting from the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, PA, is well underway.
On March 19, HR Manager Jennifer Nauss presented a 45-minute Info Session at Penn College to interested HCE tech students and attended the Career Fair with Vice President Ryan Flood the next day.
Students in the HCE tech program must complete a 240-hour internship to graduate with most completing their internship the summer before the start of the second and final year of the program. The March Career Fair starts the final rush for students to line up internships, which means a busy time for sought-after employers at the Career Fair.
What Comes Next
After the Career Fair, it’s a race to complete phone interviews, onsite interviews, and internship offers no later than mid-April. According to Jennifer, “It’s highly competitive trying to secure a Penn College HCE tech intern. All of our competitors are at the Career Fair.”
Landing an intern is even more difficult when trying to find students who either live near a Highway location or can make arrangements to live near one of our locations during the summer. In 2017, we only secured one intern due to these factors.
“I’ve invested a lot of time getting to know students, the heavy construction equipment technician department head, the internship coordinator, the assistant dean, and career services staff. My goal through this investment is to foster name recognition for Highway and to build our reputation as a place where students want to do their internship because they know they are going to get a quality, hands-on experience.”