College Students and Recent Grads
Benefits of working and interning in the Rockford Area
Why the Rockford Area?
The Rockford Area is a great place to live, work, intern, learn, invest, and play. The Rockford Area realizes it needs improvement and is doing many things to make the community an even more attractive place for the next generation.
- Live
- Work
- Intern
- Learn
- Invest
- Play
- Rockford Area is investing in downtown and the riverfront making it a cool place to hang out, shop, dine, attend shows and sporting events, or just go for a walk.
- The Element was recently launched to create “a community of the creative spirit” and to bring artists of all types together
- More bike lanes are making it easier to get around Rockford.
- The Attracting and Retaining Talent to the Rockford Area (ARTRA)Committee is dedicated to attract talent to the area through events such as Jobapalooza
- The Rockford Area Career Clearinghouse is working to encourage employers to invest in and hire recent graduates for their first professional job after graduation
- Multiple targeted industries make the Rockford Area a great place to search professional positions in many different fields.
- Tax credits and incentives entice new and renewed development.
- The Rockford Area Economic Development Council (RAEDC) is continuing efforts to make Rockford a global community and continues the effort to bring international opportunities to local businesses.
- Increasing the percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree has a huge impact on the wealth of the region. The City University, Rockford Area Career Clearinghouse, and the RAEDC’s Attracting and Retaining Talent to the Rockford Area (ARTRA) committee are working to improve the number of bachelor degreed individuals in our region.
- Ignite, the Rockford Area young professionals organization, has been recently launched to engage the next generation with each other and with the community
- Multiple museums, sporting events, festivals, theaters, gardens offer plenty of opportunity to have fun.
- Many bars and restaurants offer live entertainment, DJ’s, and karaoke. Click here for the latest!
As you can see, the Rockford Area has a lot to offer and is doing many things to improve. After graduating from college consider choosing the Rockford Area as a place to live, work, intern, invest, learn, and play!
Benefits of Internships
What is an internship?
An internship is a period of supervised practical training at company or organization by a student and can be offered by any employer. Typically students do internships to gain real world experience, test possible interest within an industry, and to enhance their education. Many times students are extended a job offer at the completion of the internship.
Internships have learning and performance goals, expectations, supervision, and evaluations. Many times, students participate in projects or work alongside professionals as they work on day to day challenges.
Why do an internship?
College courses are only one part of preparing for your future and a career. Gaining valuable experience by completing at least one internship can help put you ahead of the competition after graduation.
Benefits to students
- In this competitive economy, internships give you a chance to get your foot in the door with a company
- Gain experience to become more competitive when searching for a career after graduation
- Develop new skills in a different type of learning environment
- Ability to apply the knowledge you learn from your courses to the real world
- Try out various fields and determine your interest level in that field
- Connect to the community and network with business leaders
- Gain contacts for references and advice or information about new job opportunities
- Many instances internships turn into full time jobs
Links to career services
Career/internship advice, job search techniques, resume writing and reviews, and mock interviews
Beloit College |
Rockford College |
Bradley University |
Rock Valley College |
Illinois State University |
University of Illinois at Chicago |
Northern Illinois University |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
Rasmussen College |
University of Wisconsin -Madison |
Rockford Career College |
Western Illinois University |
If you do not see your university listed, please call 815-316-4311 for assistance.
Local contact for paid resume writing service 1to1resumes.com
Ignite has been recently launched to connect young professionals to each other and to the community.
Rockford Area Alumni Groups - (Microsoft Word Document)
Relevant articles
From Intern to Full-Time; Make the Most of your Internship www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/jun2008/bs20080615_574441.htm
Rock River Valley Entrepreneurship Center www.rrvec.com
Rockford Area Staffing Companies dedicated to helping keep talent in the Rockford Area. Please feel free to contact these companies for assistance in your job search.
Adecco |
Aerotek |
Furst Staffing |
HR Capital Management Consultants |
Johnson Personnel Co. |
Nurses, PRN |
Professional Search & Staffing |
QPS Technical |
TEKsystems |
The Furst Group |
Workplace |
