The Affiliates Program provides professional development and career engagement opportunities for students while helping employers reap the greatest benefit from their recruiting efforts.
IBM joins Engineering/EECS Affiliates Program
11/2/2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — This fall, IBM became the newest participant in Penn State’s Engineering/EECS Affiliates Program, a collaborative effort between the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and the College of Engineering’s Career Resources and Employer Relations.
The Affiliates Program was created to enable stronger networking opportunities and connections between EECS students and potential employers. The program provides professional development and career engagement opportunities for students while helping employers reap the greatest benefit from their recruiting efforts.
IBM joins Lockheed Martin, Leidos and Northrop Grumman in becoming an Affiliate. Bill Lippert, associate director of Engineering Career Resources and Employer Relations, said that the program works best as a partnership where the company is eager to work with the School of EECS and Engineering Career Resources and Employer Relations. He added that he is confident that the relationship with IBM will be as successful as the existing partnerships are.
“IBM is the sort of company that checked all the boxes for this program,” said Lippert. “They really want to engage and take full advantage of what we have to offer, so we’re excited for that.”
Among the benefits to the industry professionals participating in the program are complimentary recruiting days; early access to interview space; access to student organizations and faculty engagement opportunities; and — perhaps most importantly — personalized assistance with developing a strategic recruiting, branding and engagement plan.
“It’s been a very high touch relationship with the partners, and that’s by design,” said Lippert, emphasizing that the ability to customize the recruiting opportunities to best meet each company’s needs may be the most appealing aspect of the program.
Diane Bucha, corporate relations liaison for the School of EECS, echoed this assertion and added that she attributes much of the success of the program to the collaborative nature between School of EECS and Engineering Career Resources.
“The partnership between the School and Engineering Career Resources has been critical in maximizing the recruiting ability,” said Bucha.
The program began in 2017 and, despite its newness, has already proven successful for students and employers alike.
“The early returns have been very positive,” Lippert said. “We feel like we’ve put a strong framework in place, and we’re looking forward to growing future engagements.”
For more information on the Affiliates Program, visit career.engr.psu.edu/employers/support/affiliates.aspx.
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