A Win—Win Industrial Internship for Academic Staff

Abstract

Academics in the engineering and engineering technology disciplines have a storehouse of knowledge and talent that is potentially valuable to small and medium-sized manufacturing firms. These firms' facilities often have a limited number of engineers who must wear many hats. The Pennsylvania-based firm Can Corporation, with a workforce of over 200, has a single mechanical engineer on staff, who is the plant engineer, the maintenance supervisor, and the environmental compliance officer. An internship during 1999–2000 for a member of the local college engineering faculty, affiliated to Penn State University, proved to be a win–win arrangement for both parties. This paper presents a case history, identifies the benefits gained by the academic participant, discusses the benefits to the industrial partner, and provides recommendations for future internships. Penn State University's policies and practices applicable to internships are presented. The intention of the paper is to encourage members of engineering and engineering technology faculties to view an industrially sponsored internship as a method of providing valuable service, an opportunity to refresh engineering skills, and a source of supplemental income.