The top concern for students at Eastern Michigan University is job placement. Fears about unemployment, financial security and how student loans will be paid back are valid in a state with an unemployment rate of 7.4 percent. To allay these fears, there are a number of valuable connections that can be made between EMU and local employers to help students find jobs when their matriculation has ends.
For example, Stoneco of Michigan, my current employer has opened up a number of opportunities for students at EMU. Stoneco currently employs three EMU students and alumni, all of whom work out of the same office. These three employees are Michael Rapp, a 26-year-old EMU graduate with a degree in business administration, Austin Farmer, a 22 -year-old supply chain management major at EMU, and myself, a 20-year-old pre-law student. Our current positions have provided us employment, means to pay back our student loans, and experience relevant to our fields of study.
With respect to employment, EMU has done fairly well, however it doesn’t advertise its success. A survey conducted by EMU alumni found that the job placement rate is 93 percent. The survey also covered distinctions in employment. Sixty-two percent of those surveyed were employed full-time, 10 percent were employed part-time, 2 percent were self-employed, and the other 26 percent have either continued their education, hold temporary jobs, or opted out of the workforce.
The survey, which is hidden away and located on another platform from the main website, doesn’t include how much of this job placement occurred locally however.
The city of Ypsilanti has seen some hard times. Its unemployment rate is 7 percent, and debt has left it unable to expand on a number of much needed services. Ostensibly, the city could benefit from an influx of well-educated and employed current and former students.
Students could benefit from expanded employment opportunities and the cheaper housing options in Ypsilanti compared to Ann Arbor. Costs associated with student loan debt have inhibited recent graduates from the purchase of their first home, and other meaningful life choices. With assured employment, and lower home payments and rent costs, Ypsilanti could be a place where current and recent graduates live.
Stoneco uses a large summer internship program to get to know college students that will soon be looking for employment. This gives both the employer and the prospective employee an opportunity to get to know each other and each other’s work. A number of interns over the years enter their internship program and end up with a full time or part time job after the summer. More local employers would do well to mirror this program and connect themselves with EMU.
Already such a construct exist between the city and EMU’s Political Science Department. Students interested in public administration can either find an internship or a job with the city.
A lot of talent lays untapped in our hallways. As a student and employee of a local business, I can attest to how truly valuable the internship program has been for me and for the other EMU students around me. It provides us with an opportunity to learn the nuances of an industry, and have a look into career possibilities. It would be a great thing for all college students if more businesses decided to take an innovative approach to their intern programs.
