SYRACUSE — CenterState CEO is looking to revitalize its Project-ION internship network after interest waned during the recession. The group encouraged businesses to “mob” the site, www.project-ion.com, with internship opportunities on Sept. 6. The idea was based on cash mobs that have taken place around the country that encourage customers to descend on a local […]
SYRACUSE — CenterState CEO is looking to revitalize its Project-ION internship network after interest waned during the recession.
The group encouraged businesses to “mob” the site, www.project-ion.com, with internship opportunities on Sept. 6. The idea was based on cash mobs that have taken place around the country that encourage customers to descend on a local business at a given time and spend some money there.
The Project-ION site gives companies a single, central location to post their internships and allows one-stop browsing for students.
The response to the mob effort was strong, says Elle Hanna, Project-ION program director. The effort attracted 50 new internship offerings to the site.
That’s about four or five times what the network saw during the recession, Hanna adds. CenterState decided to take steps to bolster Project-ION after a number of local businesses began expressing renewed interest in offering internships.
“We had a few dozen businesses showing interest,” Hanna says. “We knew there were probably others that might not have known about [the site]. We wanted to create a day where businesses and students were paying attention and we could put some focus back on this.”
Businesses can continue to submit internship opportunities to the website as they arise, she adds. The network is free to use. CenterState doesn’t get involved with hiring the interns.
“We just create an environment where businesses and students have equal access to this information,” Hanna says.
Internships are available in fields such as communications, design, graphics, engineering, and manufacturing, according to CenterState.
The website has about 1,700 registered students, a number that is growing continuously, Hanna says. They come from colleges and universities throughout the region.
Running the internship program helps those students see that there are opportunities for them in the area after they graduate, Hanna says. And the positions available on the site are quality internships, she adds.
When students travel outside the local market for intern work, they might find themselves getting coffee or making copies, Hanna notes. Local employers, she says, have told CenterState they want their interns to come in and get their hands dirty.
In a tough job market, students need any leg up they can get, Hanna adds.
“[Students are] concerned about jobs after graduation,” she says. “They want [internships] to show that they’re capable. Students have always wanted these opportunities, now even more so given the environment.”
CenterState wants to continue dedicating a single day to push for new internships on the site every semester, Hanna says.
KeyBank is the lead sponsor for Project-ION.
KeyBank is number two in the Syracuse–area deposit market with 28 branch offices, more than $1.7 billion in deposits, and a market share of more than 16 percent. In the Utica–Rome area, Key has two branches, more than $64.4 million in deposits, and a deposit market share of more than 1.7 percent, according to the latest statistics from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com
