WTAMU College of Business, SBDC and Enterprise Center to Host Small Business Intern Event

By Adam Jiwa, WT Enterprise Center

Regional small businesses and entrepreneurs can connect directly with potential interns at an upcoming event at West Texas A&M University.

WT’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business, with America’s Small Business Development Center at WTAMU and the WT Enterprise Center, will host Recruit:Able at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 18 in Legacy Hall inside the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus.

The round-robin event for Engler College of Business students will feature Amarillo-area small business owners and entrepreneurs who are hiring for internship positions. Students will have an opportunity to understand how small business entrepreneurs operate in our economy while also developing marketable skills to use in their career. Entrepreneurs will conduct short interviews with potential interns and those students should have a prepared resume ready to present. The event will be catered by Sharky’s Burrito Company for everyone who participates in the interview process.

“This is a great partnership with College of Business students and local business owners,” said Brian Enevoldsen, program manager for the WT Enterprise Center. “For students, this opportunity pairs the knowledge gained through their studies with real world application to provide them the experience necessary to be recruitable beyond graduation. Furthermore, it provides gainful employment with a focus on developing the student’s skills and abilities in the area of their studies.”

This new intern initiative will provide a win-win scenario for the students and business owners. Students can gain valuable experience and can apply their knowledge, while small business owners continue to create relationships that retain college students in the Texas Panhandle after graduation.

“One of the best things about an internship is when students are able to take their marketable skills and bring them into a workspace that can help local businesses succeed,” said Dr. Robert Allen King, associate dean of graduate business programs in the Engler College of Business. “By working together, both the student and the business are gaining benefits through each other’s skills and opportunities.”

Registration cost for business owners is $50 by Aug. 15 and $75 afterwards. Business owners and students can register at wtsbdc.com/recruitable. A video of the internship guidelines and benefits for students and entrepreneurs can be found on the site.

WT is committed to serving the region and well beyond with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who are empowered to lead others. Partnering with community businesses to improve the quality of life in the Panhandle and beyond is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched Sept. 23 — has raised about $110 million.