KALAMAZOO – The Monroe-Brown Internship Program, a partnership between Southwest Michigan First and the Monroe-Brown Foundation, announced that 35 internships are available at 31 Southwest Michigan companies for students in engineering, information technology, business development, interior design, human resources, marketing, winemaking and financial management – just to name a few.

The program is open to incoming juniors, seniors and graduate students at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo College, Davenport University (Kalamazoo Campus only), Michigan State University, University of Michigan and second-year students at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Students attending Michigan State University and University of Michigan must have graduated from a high school in the greater Kalamazoo area. 

Once hired, the interns will work at their respective companies for a minimum of 400 hours between May and September. This is typically full-time for ten weeks, but can be customized to suit the needs of the individual companies and interns. 

“Talent is the most important asset to any region or organization. Internships not only provide our region’s college students with opportunities to advance their education, but they also demonstrate that Southwest Michigan is a great place to live and work upon graduation,” said Ron Kitchens, CEO of Southwest Michigan First.

Founded in 2006, the Monroe-Brown Internship Program provides interns with $3,000 in scholarship funding for college, an hourly wage paid by the employer and invaluable career experience. The program’s proven formula is a win-win, often resulting in job placement upon graduation for the students and the discovery of great local talent for the region’s employers.

“The Monroe-Brown Foundation is dedicated to helping higher education students thrive as they become permanent contributors to Southwest Michigan’s workforce.” said Robert M. Brown, Jr., president of the Monroe-Brown Foundation. “We’re grateful to each partner company for offering these outstanding internship opportunities for students looking to make their mark on the community.”  

Companies participating in the Monroe-Brown Internship Program in 2016 include:

  • Applied IE LLC
  • Arcadia Investment Management Corporation
  • AVB
  • BASIC
  • Bradley Company
  • Consumers Credit Union
  • CRB
  • CSM Group
  • E2W Engineering
  • Eaton
  • Eckert Wordell
  • Edwards Garment / Kazoo Inc.
  • Fabri-Kal
  • Imperial Beverage
  • Jaqua Realtors
  • Landscape Forms
  • Level Data, Inc.
  • LVM Capital Management
  • Miller-Davis Company
  • Mol-Son LLC
  • Oak Point Financial Group
  • Southwest Michigan First
  • St. Julian Wine Company, Inc.
  • Terra Contracting
  • The Monroe Company
  • TowerPinkster
  • W. Soule & Company
  • Western Diversified Plastics, LLC
  • Wolverine Pipeline
  • WSI
  • Zeigler Auto Group

Available internships, applications and further program details can be found at www.miinternship.com/monroe-brown-internship-program. Intern applications are due Monday, February 29.