In 2004 the Central Upstate Regional Alliance, a 12-county economic and community development consortium launched the Essential New York Initiative Summer Internship Program. The program was designed to provide substantive, paying internships that allowed students to gain hands-on experience in their field of study. During the summer of 2006, the program had over 3,500 applicants apply for 622 internships in dozens of different career fields.

In order to grow this program and create additional opportunities for college students, we are asking for your help.

This year, the Regional Alliance is joining with the Metropolitan Development Association, the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, and the Manufacturers Association of Central New York to expand and enhance this program. The collaborate effort, now titled Project ION - Internship Opportunities Now, has a goal of filling over 500 internships in the Central Upstate New York region.

Through this program, the business community can send an unmistakable message to the 130,000 college students throughout the region - that Central Upstate offers many exciting career opportunities with strong and innovative companies. By agreeing to participate, you would be committing to provide one or more substantive, paying internship opportunities that would allow a student to gain hands-on experience in their field of study. To make the process easy and productive for your company, Project ION provides a clearinghouse for regional internship opportunities, access to 35 colleges and universities (and the 130,000 students they educate), and social and cultural opportunities for peer networking among the intern cohort.

If you already provide internships, please consider listing them on the Project ION website. If you have never had an intern before or are concerned about the commitment that is required, we have developed a handbook that is designed to answer many of these questions and give you ideas about how to get the most out of an internship.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact info@project-ion.com or contact the Project-ION program coordinator at (315) 422-8284.