It has always happened that Penn State McKeesport students are competitive in the workplace.
A great deal of this success is contributed by experience in a student's area of expertise. Internships give a student an advantage in the workplace, allowing them to utilize the skills and education they have accessed throughout their collegiate careers. Penn State McKeesport offers a variety of internships to students in different programs.
   In talking with Dr. J. Patrick Boyle, director of student affairs, most of the internships on Penn State McKeesport's campus have come through the information science and technology program. It is recommended that a student take part ill an internship during the summer of their sophomore year, according to the Penn State McKeesport Web site. After the completion of their sophomore year, students are encouraged to intern throughout the remainder of their collegiate career.
   All students who are eligible may interview for these internships. Dr. Boyle said that internship students have an advantage over students not participating in internships. "Students doing internships actually get to put the theory of what they have been taught into practice. They become more familiar with the work setting that they are directed toward, and they also learn how to network," he said Tenika Anderson (sophomore information science and technology) took part in an internship during the summer of her freshmen year with an organization called Inroads. Inroads is a program developed to place talented minority students in businesses and industries to prepare them for positions in the corporate world and to make them accessible as community leaders. There are many companies, such as ALCOA, who hire Inroads internship students exclusively.
Ms. Anderson did an internship for PNC Bank and made $12 per hour. She said, "The internship definitely gave me an advantage over other students. Not only do I have work experience, but I am also guaranteed a job after college."
Ms Anderson said it is not rare for students to be offered a position from a company where they have interned.