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��ɫӰ��’s Center for Community Work and Learning has been awarded a three-year, $397,793 Career Ready Internship Grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. More than 200 new paid internships will be created during the 2015–2018 academic years.

“Paid internships benefit students, colleges and employers,” says Richard D. George, Great Lakes president and chief executive officer. “Students gain meaningful workplace skills and are more likely to earn degrees and use their internship experiences to help secure good jobs upon graduation. Colleges will see increased completion and job placement rates, and employers gain a pipeline to fresh talent. It’s a win-win-win.”

St. Catherine is among 33 colleges and universities in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin that received a combined $12 million in Great Lakes grants to make internships more equitable for their students with financial need. The University’s Center for Community Work and Learning will collaborate with businesses and nonprofit organizations to provide the greatest number of current and future students with an educational opportunity they might not otherwise have.

"We are thrilled to receive this grant to engage our students in meaningful internships in the community,” says D’Ann Lesch, director of the Center for Community Work and Learning. “We know these kinds of experiences have tremendous impact on our students, and that they make amazing contributions to the organizations where they intern.”

Following three months of administrative planning, employer outreach, and student recruitment, St. Kate’s will place eligible juniors and seniors in paid internships beginning in January 2016. The Great Lakes grant period continues through May 2018.

Oct. 8, 2015 by Julie Michener, with materials provided.