The University of South Alabama is pleased to announce the launch of the USA Gulf Coast Internship Academy, to begin in May 2018. The Academy will facilitate the placement of students from a variety of fields in internship sites across south Baldwin County. Internship opportunities include, but are not limited to, education, sports management, event planning, business, criminal justice, social work, non-profit management, and hospitality and tourism.

Internship programs offer benefits to both employers and students. For employers, internship programs provide an excellent recruitment tool for new employees, creating a continuous pipeline of new recruits to meet workforce needs. In addition, interns who transition to permanent employment at their internship sites tend to remain with those employers for longer periods of time, increasing employee retention and decreasing costly turnover. Local businesses and organizations who host interns through the USA Gulf Coast Internship Academy will be offered training and resources related to the recruitment, support, and supervision of interns.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our students in almost any major to gain pre-professional experience in one of the most beautiful locations in the state,” maintains Dr. Jenny Manders, coordinator of the internship academy. University housing will be available in Gulf Shores to those students selected to participate, with easy access to internship sites in Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, and Foley.

Participation in the academy will initially be offered to USA students, but plans for expansion include acceptance of students from other universities in the US and across the globe. Partners in the academy include the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, in addition to multiple businesses and community organizations in the south Baldwin area.

Dr. David Johnson, Provost and Senior Vice President at USA, states, “The Internship Academy will advance the University’s priority of community engagement and will be responsive to the needs of our community partners, our academic units, and most importantly our students. It will fill a real need in south Baldwin County.”

For more information, contact Dr. Jenny Manders, coordinator of the USA Gulf Coast Campus in Gulf Shores at 251-968-9860 or jmanders@southalabama.edu.