Internship Fair draws students, dozens of employers

Dozens of businesses and hundreds of students turned out for the Dodge County Internship Fair at Kasson-Mantorville High School on Friday, Jan. 5.
Connecting students with employers was the whole goal of the Internship Fair. Students from KM, Hayfield High School and Triton High School were invited to participate.
“It went really well,” said Denielle Villar of Samaritan Bethany Inc. in Rochester. “We were right by the entrance and had many students stop by to see what we’re all about.”
“The program is a great opportunity for these young adults to get experience to find out what is going to appeal to them as they go into their adult life,” she said. “It also gives them the opportunity to earn money while going to school. I don’t know what’s better than that.”
Samaritan Bethany has had two interns through the program, which started in the fall. The interns worked less than 20 hours a week, and helped with the life enrichment program.
Minnesota Ag Group Inc. was a second employer who participated in the fair.
“We thought it was very, very nice,” said Susan Shanks, marketing director for Minnesota Ag Group in Kasson. “We thought it was a really nice way to partner with local students.”
The business is looking for people who are interested in diesel mechanics, accounting, sales and precision farming. Are the students well-equipped for such work? Yes and no.
“That’s why it’s called an internship,” Shanks said. “It’s a hands’ on model of teaching what these positions look like so they can continue to further educate themselves to meet the requirements for these positions. It’s a way to shadow and get your feet wet.”
“Kids don’t know and this is a good way to get your foot in the door and get a feel for what interests you. It’s a nice way to introduce what the job would entail.”
It’s a very valuable experience at the end of the day, Shanks said. An internship offers clarity, she said. “It’s valuable for them to see what jobs are in their community,” she said.
Another employer at the Internship Fair was Fairview Care Center of Dodge Center. Tessa Stevenson, human resources coordinator for the skilled nursing facility, said “It went well.”
She said the facility has “a lot of opportunities” for students, including activities assistant, cook assistant, dietary aide assistant, dishwasher assistant, housekeeper assistant and maintenance assistant. She learned about the Internship Fair from an email from KM High School.
“It would be nice to have an intern,” Stevenson said. “But it also makes people who are looking for a job think about a possible job instead of an internship.”
Ashley Kaplan, director of student and staff support systems for KM High School, said the Internship Fair was well attended on Jan. 5, and she hopes to see it keep growing.
About 200 students attended the fair, which includes KM High School’s entire junior class of 170 students and 30 additional students from Triton High School.
“I think we’ll get more student involvement in the future,” Kaplan said.