The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) will serve as the inaugural campus to launch a collaboration with Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) to provide students with access to internships at more than 1,000 Birmingham-area employers.
BBA, and its 1,100 investors, will channel job and internship opportunities into an online portal that can be accessed by a dedicated link provided by UAB’s Career & Professional Development Services, in collaboration with Internships.com. Students can view available jobs, as well as upload their profiles and resumes, which can be retrieved by BBA investors.
“This partnership with the BBA is a clear win/win situation,” said Suzanne Scott-Trammell, executive director of Career & Professional Development Services. “Collectively, we are in the ‘leadership pipeline development process,’ and this partnership between the BBA, UAB and other post-secondary education providers paves the way to a greater, more sustainable road to success for all of us.”
BBA Vice President of Education and Workforce Development Marcus Lundy said such an effort is included in Blueprint Birmingham.
“This is one more direct connection in our workforce development efforts to bridge the gap between area schools and the business community, as outlined in Blueprint Birmingham,” said Lundy. “We are confident this crucial tool will be widely used throughout college campuses and area businesses and quickly become the go-to site for hot internships, jobs and up-to-date information.”
UAB, which has 18,000 students and is the state’s largest single-site employer, will kick off the initiative. Ultimately, though, BBA plans to replicate this model at every two- and four-year college within the seven-county Birmingham region.
“I am proud that our leadership is committed to giving students the best opportunities to succeed,” said UAB Student Government Association President Adrian Jones. “This partnership will give UAB students greater access to internships and ultimately put them in a position to receive top-notch job offers. This will also allow students to become more connected with Birmingham-area employers, and we will be able to explore the vast career opportunities within our community.”