BRATTLEBORO — The Six College Collaborative (formerly known as The Windham Higher Education Cooperative) recently launched a website, www.sixcolleges.com, featuring local paid internship opportunities for college students, information about cross registration among the six participating colleges, and community offerings at the various college campuses.
The collaborative includes Community College of Vermont, SIT Graduate Institute, Vermont Technical College, Landmark College, Marlboro College, and Union Institute and University.
The website was built by a Vermont Technical College intern, Emily Purcell, under the direction and supervision of Jason Coplan, owner of DC WebPro. The website provides a centralized location and database for the collaborative to promote and provide detailed information about what they do.
Created with the perspective of a current college student, the site aims to be user-friendly and easily navigated, according to a news release. It features links to each of the six institutions, social media links, a list of community events at each of the participating campuses as well as enrichment opportunities for staff and faculty.
The SeVEDS/BDCC Collaborative Internship program lists on average 25-30 postings for students looking for work experience in the Windham region and instructions for area businesses seeking to hire college interns.
The internship program is funded by a grant from the Vermont Department of Labor and contributions from the participating colleges. Participating interns earn college credit and are paid. Since its creation in February 2014, the program has enabled 19 college students to find internships; five of the 19 students have been offered long term employment, earning competitive salaries.
The program is open to any college student in the country as long as they intern for a Windham Region business. There are paid opportunities in a variety of sectors including: agriculture, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, hospitality, manufacturing, marketing, media, social services and STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math.
The salaries range from minimum wage to $25 per hour. Interns can earn between $2,000 and $8,000 per semester.