Gearing up for GI internships

The Grand Island business community is always seeking ideas and concepts to expand and train our professional workforce. The goal of developing and training the professional workforce of the future is a formidable challenge. Grow Grand Island has partnered with the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce and Wayne State College to offer a program to offer a solution to future staffing challenges.

The Grand Island Career Scholars Program has been in place since the fall of 2021. This innovative internship program is designed to educate Wayne State College students on campus for their first three years, followed by a full year internship to be spent in Grand Island. During this internship year, the Wayne State College students will be living, working, and learning with business partners in the program.

The Career Scholars Program got its start in Norfolk and the first class of interns will be living and working in Norfolk in August 2023. The idea of living, working, and learning in this program is researched based and this internship program is unique for the State of Nebraska. The first class of Grand Island Career Scholars are now in their freshmen year at Wayne State College. This class will be arriving to live, work, and learn in Grand Island in August of 2025.

This honors program will not only benefit Grand Island business partners in the future, but it will also benefit students now and into the future. The Career Scholars Program is built for sustainability and the goal of freshmen student numbers will increase each year from 15 to 25 to 45 to 60. The students accepted into this honors program will receive $24,000 in four years. Included in this total is $10,000 designated for student housing while in Grand Island. Student housing will be built for the interns and will be available for them in the Fall of 2025. In addition, students will be paid as interns in local businesses during their senior year.

I am the former principal of Northwest High School and the director of the Grand Island Career Scholars Program, with an office at the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce. Since assuming this position in July 2022, I have been busy building relationships with the Grand Island business community in trying to establish internship partners for the future. I also spend a great deal of time in both Grand Island and area high schools recruiting students for the future success of the GICSP.

If you would like more information on the Grand Island Career Scholars Program, please contact me at tikrupi1@wsc.edu or 308-382-9210.

Tim Krupicka

Director, Workforce and Community Education

Wayne State College

Email: tikrupi1@wsc.edu

For more information about the Grand Island Career Scholars Program, please go to the following link:

https://www.wsc.edu/homepage/450/career_scholars_grand_island