10/06/16 ns/kb
Hays, Kan. -- Applications are open for businesses seeking internships through the Management Development Center and the Center for Entrepreneurship at Fort Hays State University.

The Management Development Center is in its third year offering its service helping to fill internships at businesses and entrepreneurial startups in northwest Kansas with interns from the W.R. and Yvonne Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship at FHSU.

The Center for Entrepreneurship's participation represents a change in the internship program. Internships for businesses within the 26 northwest Kansas counties will remain under the direction of the MDC, but internships for entrepreneurial-based businesses will be managed by the CFE.

The 26 counties are three rows deep from Cheyenne, Sherman and Wallace east to Republic, Cloud and Ottawa, plus Saline and Ellsworth.

"Thanks to funding from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and Peter and Pamela Werth, the program is extremely affordable for business owners and allows students to gain valuable experience in their field of study while being paid," said Sabrina William, director of the MDC.

On the application, businesses should identify their needs and decide what responsibilities would fall under the interns' duties.

Student applicants with an interest in accounting, business communications, computer networking, economics, finance, human resources, management information systems, marketing, operations management, tourism and hospitality, Web design, as well as from other departments and colleges, are welcome to apply.

Full internships are expected to be approximately 240 hours in length. Students will work an average of 15 hours per week over the course of the 16-week semester. Selected businesses are required to provide $500 towards the internship, which will be matched with $2,000 in grant funding. Payroll will be completed through FHSU the student employment office.

Examples of projects may include, but are not limited to:
• Managing social media marketing efforts.
• Planning and executing a promotion or event.
• Establishing a recruitment and selection process.
• Developing a marketing plan.
• Building a competitive analysis strategy.
• Developing a training program for a specific set of operational procedures.
• Analyzing operation processes to determine efficiency.

Business owners are expected to work with the intern by setting initial and any revised expectations along with providing guidance and insight over the course of the internship. They are also expected to complete an evaluation form at the end of the semester.

Students will gain valuable experience completing the project and will learn about the operations, challenges and rewards of the business. Students, in some cases, may also choose to register for course credit for the internship.

For more information, contact Nicholas Schmidt, MDC graduate assistant, at 785-628-4739 regarding northwest Kansas businesses or Henry Schwaller, director of the CFE, at 785-628-4201 regarding entrepreneurial businesses.

The application can be downloaded from www.fhsu.edu/cob/mdc/Internship-Program/ and emailed to the appropriate party listed on the business application. The application also has a map indicating the 26 counties served by the program.

The priority deadline for business applications is Friday, Oct. 14. With limited funding, businesses and students will be selected through a competitive selection process. Priority will be given to either northwest Kansas businesses or individuals who are in the startup process or in their first one to three years of business; however, all businesses are encouraged to apply.

Interested students may contact the MDC, CFE or visit the JobX website near Oct. 19 to view the available internships.